Labyrinth: Ashes to Ashes
by Rebellion of the Kat
Summary: The death of a loved one can be experienced in many ways. Some go through depression, some accept their loss, some try to forget. When Sarah loses her mother, she does something that no other girl has ever done. She turns to the Labyrinth!
1. The Funeral

**LABYRINTH****: ASHES TO ASHES****  
><strong>(remastered)

_Disclaimer: I, the author, can assure you, the reader, that the content of this story is completely my own, and any resemblance to actual persons is purely coincidental. I do not own Labyrinth or any of the characters in it. This story is for enjoyment purposes only._

_Author's Note: Ashes to Ashes was a story I published on back in 2007 when I was 18 years old. This was my best reviewed story at the time, and one I enjoyed writing the most. Now, at the grand old age of 23, I decided to "pimp" the whole thing, add a whole new bunch of scenes, re-write the ending, and generally turn it into something that represents my writing abilities in 2012. I believe this is ten times better than the original and I ask that you pay no attention to the old one. Hope you enjoy it! Reviews are very much appreciated - even small ones! :)_

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><p>The sky was a dismal shade of melancholy grey. All that lay ahead was a thick foggy haze which seemed to lead into the sunken ambience of depression. The young woman's footsteps echoed along the abandoned streets. No light radiated her bare ashen skin as the clouds secreted the desolate sun. She dressed in a morose black frock which wafted in the light wind. A matching black bonnet covered the sorrow of her eyes so that her pale porcelain face could barely be distinguished. She continued to hurry down the streets frantically, as if she was heading to a place that she would rather not go. The pace of her stride kept in perfect rapidity until she finally stopped and stood at a large black gate.<p>

"Sarah?" enquired a man, to which the girl raised her head. She looked neither happy nor sad to see the silver-haired figure, who also dressed in black from head to toe. He was a tall man, most likely in his early forties, and apart from his downcast expression he was quite handsome. "I…I'm sorry" he hesitated as he put his hand in her shoulder.

Sarah nodded slightly, determined to refrain from showing any form of emotion. She turned away from the man to indicate that she did not need his consolation, and he timidly placed his hand back by his side. After a brief moment they both walked through he large gate where they joined a number of others who lingered outside of the local church. Many of them turned to look directly at Sarah, their eyes full of sorrow and pity, while others observed quietly her from the corners of their eyes. She was aware of this and kept her head bowed down at all times. It was clear that she did not want to be noticed, or spoken to.

Throughout the service she acted with grace and dignity. She did not cry or weep, not even when she watched the coffin disappear behind the curtains. She just sat there with a cheerless expression, almost robotic like. When the vicar said his last words the crowd of mourners slowly paced out of the church. They watched as Sarah walked away, without saying a word to anyone. Some of them muttered to each other, trying to speculate about what she was really feeling. Was she upset? Was she angry? Was she confused? They did not know. But they knew that she was fragile, and so chose not to disturb the girl as she strode back down the streets, retracing her steps with the exact same pace and posture as before.

Meanwhile, Karen Williams perched nervously in her living room chair. Her worried expression was evident as she chewed on her fingernails. Behind her anxiety, one could see that there was a stern, assertive woman, but her confidence was overridden by her troubled eyes and fidgety stance. A breeze swept across the room as the front door opened. Karen leapt up out of her seat and quickly scuttled over to the door where she saw Sarah standing there, blank-faced and stiff-bodied. Karen stood there uneasily for what seemed like minutes, not knowing what to say. She showed compassion in her face as she gently touched her shoulder.

"How was it?" she asked sympathetically.

Sarah bowed her head before looking up at her and nodded slightly. It was clear that she did not want to speak, but also did not want to appear discourteous.

"I'd rather not talk about it." She spoke softly.

"Oh dear you look dismayed, you should have let me come with you. Nobody should have to attend their mothers funeral alone."

"No, it's fine, I wanted to go alone. Besides I hardly knew her anyway." Sarah sighed heavily as she took off her hat and walked into the living room, slouching on the couch as Karen followed. She blinked a couple of times as if to rid of any lingering moisture, and proceeded to focus her eyes on the television, which had not actually been turned on. Karen titled her head in concern, as she gazed down at her helpless step-daughter.

"But still, it's not a nice thing to have to go through." Karen paused for a second, as if something important had just occurred to her. "Was he there?" she asked, pryingly.

Sarah turned and slowly nodded her head, to which Karen sighed.

"I'll make you a nice hot cup of cocoa." Karen smiled, as best she could before adjourning the kitchen.

Sarah, finally alone, huffed deeply and wiped her sleepy eyes with her hands. She did not look like girl who had just been to her mothers funeral, as her expression seemed to be rather careless and impassive, almost worryingly so. Her eyes darted around the room looking for something to do or read. She pulled out a couple of books that were in reach from the nearby shelf. After carelessly flicking through the pages of Virginia Andrews and Chicken Soup for the Soul, she was about to give up on the books until something seemed to capture her attention. Her hands slowly reached for the remaining book that lay on her lap as she caressed the leather bindings. She seemed fascinated by it, as if she had never seen this book before. The title, which read The Truth About Mythology, was hand-stitched into the leather with gold embroidery. She opened the book carefully, which revealed thin pages that looked old and discoloured. As she brushed through the pages, she saw many hand-drawn pictures of different kinds of mythical beasts; centaurs, unicorns, dragons, mermaids - the list went on. She stopped abruptly when she got to a particular page, a page which had a large drawing of a labyrinth on it. Her eyes lit up at the sight of the myth that she had fought and conquered just a few years ago. Her fingers traced over the long and complex trails that the image displayed, as if she was demonstrating the simplicity of it all. Her fingers stopped, however, once she had reached what looked like a large bull. She wrinkled her face in confusion, and read the footnote at the bottom of the page.

'As in the great myth of Theseus; one must penetrate to the heart of the Labyrinth in search of the great beast, the Minotaur, if they wish to succeed.'

Sarah scowled in disappointment at the book, as if to say that it didn't have a clue. For she had succeeded the Labyrinth without engaging with the Minotaur.

"What's that you're reading? Anything good?" Karen's words startled Sarah, causing her to slam the book shut and place it quickly back on the bookshelf. "Obviously not," Karen shrugged, and handed her a fresh mug of cocoa. Sarah thanked her quietly, took a small sip and placed it on the coffee table. Karen sat down in the nearby chair and gazed at Sarah intensely. From her piercing eyes, Sarah knew that she wanted to have a serious talk with her.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" asked Sarah.

"I'm worried about you."

"Well don't okay! I'm fine, honestly." Sarah tried to appear convincing, but knew she was fooling no one. The more her step-mother pried, the more she lost control of her composure. Every word that fell from her lips seemed to have a pitch and tempo that differed from the rest, which resulted in her sentences sounding shaky and timorous.

"Now Sarah, I know that's not true. You've just been to your mothers funeral. Of course you're not fine. You've been quiet all week. Now, I know it's hard, but if you don't share your feelings then they'll have no chance of going away."

Sarah stilled remained impassive, trembling occasionally. If anything, it looked like she was trying extraordinarily hard to fight back her emotions. Karen stood up and moved over to the couch where Sarah was sitting. She knelt down beside her and looked into her eyes, sympathetically, searching for some kind of connection. But, Sarah lowered her eyelids. It was clear she wanted to be left alone.

"I know that its difficult ,with your father being away, and I'm probably the last person you want to speak to, but…I want you to understand that you can talk to me, Sarah. I want to help you, nothing more…and…"

"Am I interrupting something?" A young man had walked into the living room, sporting a whiter-than-white t-shirt and stonewashed blue jeans. He had an innocent complexion and a rather friendly face. He appeared to be around twenty years of age, but had a very youthful countenance, with short blonde locks that would be have been curly if he had not smeared hair gel all over them. His eyes were blue and welcoming, and his smile was warm and trustworthy.

"No, Lysander. Come on in." Karen stood back up and gestured for the young man to join her over at Sarah's chair. He smiled shyly as he walked over to join the two women, Sarah's eyes widened with a slight contentment and her lips curved into a tiny smile. It was the first time she'd showed any kind of emotion since she left the house in this morning, and to Karen's surprise it was a happy one.

"Hello, Sarah. Hello, Mrs. Williams. Umm…I was kind of wondering if…I could talk to Sarah…alone?" He smiled again, trying not to offend Karen.

Karen sighed, but agreed to let him and Sarah go off upstairs. Lysander held out his hand as Sarah gleefully walked up to the young man. Her step-mother watched in astonishment, noticing that Sarah's funeral-face had changed into an expression of delight. The two youths disappeared from her sight, and made their way up to Sarah's bedroom, which appeared to be rather plain for a girl who once had a vast imagination and a room filled with books and pictures which all reflected her innermost dreams. She still had a few ornaments and posters, but most of her old toys and stuffed animals were out of sight. She only had one bear; Lancelot, who rested faithfully on her bed. It seemed this bear must have had some sort of sentimental value to her, as it contrasted greatly to the bedroom's sensible décor.

Sarah went over to the in the mirror, while Lysander sat himself down on the bed. He observed quietly, as Sarah frowned at her complexion, appearing pretty dissatisfied with the way she looked. She didn't even pay any attention to Lysander for the first few minutes of him being there, which he found rather odd. He knew she was distracting herself from having any kind of strenuous conversation with him, but for a while he let her continue with her diversions. However, he immediately became concerned when Sarah stopped to look at a picture on her dresser. Her face turned to a pallid ashen colour once more as she stared at her mother's beautiful face. She gazed for a brief moment, before turning the photo frame around until it could no longer be seen. Lysander noticed this and he patted on her bed, indicating for her to come and sit next to him. Sarah hovered for a moment, before agreeing to his gesture. She sat by him and smiled, weakly.

"Do you want me to show you my new cassette player? Remember when I told you about it the other day. I got some new tapes and I think you'll really appreciate…."

"No. That's alright." He spoke softly, with a look in his eyes that said he knew Sarah all too well, and he knew that behind her pleasant exterior she was burying her true feelings. Sarah lowered her eyes, for she also knew her friend too well, and he was not going to let her act as if nothing had happened. "So how did it go?"

"It was fine." she verified. But, Lysander fixed his soft blue eyes on her deep hazel ones, and suddenly became stern with his gaze. This caused Sarah to become defensive. "Really! It was fine!" She snapped as she angrily stood up and marched over to her bookshelf where she pulled out a random book and tersely flipped through the pages. Lysander hand reached for her shoulder.

"I thought we were friends Sarah. You know you can tell me anything, don't you? It's just me! Your ol' friend Sandy! I know I don't know much about losing a mother, since I've never really had one, but I do know that you can't pretend you're not upset. Don't pretend Sarah. My shoulders ain't here just for holding my arms in place, you know! They're here for crying on too!"

"What makes you think I'm upset?"

"Well, for one thing, you're reading Dracula, upside down!"

Sarah paused, then sniffed as she dropped the upturned pages onto the hardwood flooring, and, at that moment, she burst into a flame of uncontrollable tears. She turned around to place her head on Lysander's shoulder and he stroked her long russet brown locks as she wept.

"Oh, Lysander! I…I…never said goodbye! She…she didn't even get to see…she just…"

"I know I know…don't worry. She can see you now. Believe me, she can see you anytime she wants, and she'll be very proud of you." Sarah hugged him tightly, feeling comforted by his words. "Time is a great healer, you'll see! Everything will be just a little bit brighter tomorrow, okay? And if it doesn't, then I owe you a coke." Sarah let out a slight giggle, but remained unsure of his words, for tomorrow seemed like just another grief-stricken day of this doom-filled year.


	2. The Escape

Tomorrow had arrived. The bright sun that typically illuminated the skies was eclipsed by the misty shadows of grief. Sarah sat unmoving on her bed, her face red and fatigued. The dark and ghostly pools of her eyes were reflections of the tears she had shed through the night. Her talk with Lysander had released a prison of emotions that she did not know how to handle. Tissues were scattered all over her bedroom floor, and old photographs of her mother were outstretched beside her. Only one of the pictures had Sarah in it. The caption read '_Linda and Sarah Williams #001.' _Sarah looked about six years old, with long dark locks that curled up at the ends, and big brown eyes that shone with innocence and wonder. She clutched at her mother's legs who, in turn, gazed down at her proudly. It was easy to see where Sarah had gained her glamour and grace. Linda resembled a classic Hollywood actress, with the deep, dreamy eyes of Elizabeth Taylor and the sleek and slim posture of Audrey Hepburn. It was only natural that she would take up modelling as a profession. Most of the other photos were set against a solid white background, each one with a different flirtatious pose. Still, they all bore the same striking face, resembling a more mature and womanlike version of Sarah.

Sarah clutched a small gold locket in her right hand and watched it for a while, as if it was suddenly going to come to life and reveal its contents. But when nothing happened, she placed it back around her neck, and it assumed a position beside her heart. Evidently, the locket carried some sort of significance to her mother but it was unclear how. In the other hand, she clutched Lancelot, a ragged, old teddy-bear that she never dared part with. She could hear her stepmother downstairs, spring cleaning the house, while six-old-Toby squealed with excitement as he pretended that the Hoover was some kind of evil monster that had to be jumped on every time it came too close. Toby has definitely acquired Sarah's imagination. It even caused her to smile faintly, as she listened to him dance around and put on voices for different characters, much to Karen's annoyance. There was still no sign of Sarah's father, however. Even though, he and Linda had divorced a long time ago, she hoped he would be here to help her through her sorrow.

"I didn't mean it. I'm sorry. Please…, please forgive me." Sarah whispered quietly to herself as she wept, pleading with her mothers pictures. She was clearly traumatised, a much different attitude to what she appeared like yesterday. "I'm so sorry." She murmured again, before a bellowing knock on the door jolted her heart into a double-time beat.

"Sarah?" It was Karen. "Why aren't you up yet? It's almost ten o'clock! Can you come here, please? I need to ask you something."

Sarah jolted of her bed and apprehensively piled all of the pictures together. She quickly hid them in a drawer and wiped her eyes.

"Just a second!" She tried to sound unconvincingly cheerful, and shoved on a pair of scruffy jeans and a white fitted sweater. She fluffed up her chocolate hair, and ran to the door, which she opened to the sight of her well-presented stepmother, who stood holding a few books and stared at her with concern.

"Sarah, you look like the walking dead. Have you been crying?"

"No, no! I've just been rubbing my eyes, and my mascara must have smeared them." Sarah giggled, weakly. She was desperate to change the topic. "Anyway, what was it you wanted to ask me?"

"I'm having a clear-out in the living room, and I just wondered if you wanted any of these books?"

"Um…No, I don't think so. I already have enough books." Sarah asserted this without even looking at the books she was holding.

"Are you sure? It's just that I was sure you were practically engrossed in this one yesterday." Karen held up a dark leather volume with gold embroidery that Sarah recognised to be _The Truth In Mythology_. She leered at the book, and suddenly her eyes blazed with interest .

"Okay, I'll have this one." She snatched the book, like a hungry child, and swept her fingers across the hardback, smiling softly as she did so. "Thank you."

"Sarah, are you sure you're alright? Why don't you come with me and Toby to the park later? Take your mind off things, hmm? You used to love going to the park."

"No, I'm fine. I…um…have a college project that I want to get stuck into." Her eyes remained fixated on the book as she spoke.

"Well, if you're sure?"

"I am. Have fun at the park!" Sarah smiled, and closed the door. She walked over to her bed with the book in her hand, still caressing it slowly, as if it was something very special. Carefully opening the pages, she turned to the index. Her fingers trailed down the words rapidly, until she reached the 'G' section. All of a sudden, her finger stopped on a certain word, and she quickly located the page number and turned over to the correct chapter. Her lips curved into a faded smile when she saw the large subheading which read '_Goblins_'. The page displayed many drawings of the foul creatures, all which were extremely accurate. Every single one of them was short and dumpy, with large beady eyes and dull iron clothing. Not one of them gave the impression of being intelligent, and not one of them appeared to be a threat. Not to Sarah anyway. Not now.

'Some myths believe that the goblins come and steal children, intending to turn them into their own kind with their magical powers. Others believe that it is their ruler, the almighty Goblin King, who orders them to take the children away, but only when unwanted and wished away by a sibling, usually female. It is up to this sibling to search for the child before it is turned into a goblin forever. Often, the child will be hidden beyond a maze or Labyrinth. In this case, the sibling is certain to fail. However, if she _does _succeed, the Goblin King will offer the 'wisher' a chance to forget about the child, and instead, rule by his side as his faithful queen. If the 'wisher' accepts she will succumb to his powers and be trapped in his castle forever. If she finds the power to decline, she and her baby brother will return safely, the Goblin King will be defeated, and the Labyrinth will be conquered.'

Sarah could not quite believe what she was reading. It was all true, and it was all right in front of her. How did this book know so much? It had everything; goblins, the Labyrinth, the child, the Goblin King… Well, it failed to go into detail about how cruel said King was. How he teased her and tricked her, and changed his mind every few seconds. How he enticed her on that fateful evening in the ballroom while Toby's destiny hung in the outcrops of limbo. Why did it not mention that? Sarah frowned, and continued to read on.

'If one conquers the Labyrinth, their legend will be great, and the defeater will acquire certain powers. The most important amongst these powers will be their ability to wish themselves back into the centre of the Labyrinth, just once, if they so choose.'

Dropping the book on her bed, she gawped at the pages in amazement. How did she not know that she could wish herself back in the Labyrinth anytime she wanted? Jareth never mentioned anything to her. Surely, if it was his plan to make her Queen, he would _want _her to wish herself back! She buried her brow in deep thought. Maybe it wasn't true. After all, the beast in the heart of the Labyrinth never turned out to be true, did it? There was no Minotaur! …Maybe this book was just a pile of old myths that were made up by people who hadn't even experienced them, and just got lucky with a few of the facts. Still, Sarah began to wonder. What if she could go to the Labyrinth, just for a while, just until she recovered from her mothers death? It would be a great hiding place, and there would be no Karen to bother her.

"No! There's no point! There's nothing for me there anyway!" She shook her head fiercely before kicking the book shut, and throwing it on the floor. She flung herself on top of her bed, and stared at the wall in silence. Her mind began to race with thoughts; thoughts about the Labyrinth, about all the events that took place several years ago. Thoughts about him; the handsome devil, the man who she bravely confronted, never surrendering to his vices, no matter how much he tormented or enticed her. She smiled to herself. It was unsure whether she was smiling because she had defeated him, or smiling because someone as beautiful as Jareth actually tried to seduce her. _Her. _Little old Sarah Williams, from Wakeville.

"Once upon a time…." Sarah started to whisper. "…there was a beautiful young girl, whose stepmother always made her stay home with the baby. The baby was a spoilt child; he wanted everything for himself, and the girl was practically a slave! But what no one knew was that the Goblin King had fallen in love with the girl, and gave her certain powers!"Her lips hung on the last line. Had he really fallen in love with her? Was he capable of such a thing? She tried to think about what actually happened all those years ago. The way he looked deep into her eyes, and murmured softly into her ears. Was is all just a ruse, or did he feel something more? Sarah knew _she _must have, even if she didn't realise it back then.

"Maybe he _did _fall for me! Maybe he didn't really want Toby. Maybe he wanted…me." Sarah paused for a moment, trying to make sense of everything. "Well whatever he wanted, he can't frighten me anymore! If I decide to go there, there's nothing he could do about it. I just need a break, an escape. I just need some time away to get over my mother! I mean what harm could it do? He has no power over me!"

She thought hard for a brief moment, took a sharp breath, then rose onto her feet. Closing her eyes tightly, she began to speak the words she never thought she'd speak again.

"I wish…, I wish that I could go to the Labyrinth, just for one day."


	3. The Oubliette

Unable to open her eyes through fear of disappointment, Sarah had a feeling that her wish had failed. It did not smell like the Labyrinth and it did not sound like the Labyrinth. The cold and empty ambience of her bedroom still encircled her senses. She moved her feet lightly, and puckered her brow in frustration, knowing that she still stood on the same hardwood floor as before. Sighing, she decided to stop fooling around and face her intended reality. Lifting her eyes slowly, however, she noticed that everything had become very dark and blurry. When she had finally regained her focus she comprehended that she was staring into a man's eyes. She screamed, and recoiled in fright.

"Aghh! What? Who? Where?" A high-pitched voice cried, also seeming startled.

"Be quiet! You frightened the young girl!" Another, more gruff-sounding voice shouted.

It was then Sarah noticed that she was stood before a large bearded goblin, whose hat took the form of a talking bird with a Spanish accent. She remembered these creatures very well. The Wiseman and his sharp-tongued bonnet had attempted to give her advice during her last trip through the Labyrinth, but as it turned out they became somewhat more of a hindrance. Sarah gasped, as she gazed around at the surrounding area. For she had only just realised that she was no longer in her bedroom, but in the Oubliette; a small, dark enclosed underground cave where she had first been locked away while she tried to save her baby brother. She breathed heavily, trying to gather her thoughts together. She did wish to come to the Labyrinth, but for some reason she was terribly shocked that her wish had actually worked. And of all the places to end up, the Oubliette! It could have been the hedge maze! It could have been the forest, or even the Bog of Eternal Stench for that matter! But no! It was the bitter, miserable old Oubliette - the place where people are imprisoned and forgotten about.

"I'm sorry for screaming Sir. You just scared me a little. I didn't expect that my wish would work. I…I didn't actually want it to work!" Sarah spoke after suddenly noticing that the elderly goblin and his annoying bird-hat were still staring at her. The Wiseman's head wobbled from side to side occasionally and his eyes, which hid beneath a cloud of grey hairs, drooped with fatigue.

"Well then, why did you wish it?" The Hat asked, cheekily.

"The young lady was talking to me!" The Wiseman angrily replied.

"Oh, please! Only a sucker would start a conversation with you!"

"BE QUIET!" The Wiseman bellowed, straining his rasping vocal chords. Sarah giggled in remembrance to the exact same words he had spoken all those years ago. Some things never change. "Wish?…Ah yes! To have a strong feeling of wanting something to happen, or wanting to have something. Your wish was to come to this Labyrinth?"

"Actually, I just wished to come here for one day. I just needed some time away…to recover. You see, I recently lost my….my…."

"Did you lose your hat? Do you need a new one? I'd be happy to replace it!" The Hat made an attempt to jump from the Wiseman's head, but the elderly goblin raised his had and smacked the Hat hard before he had a chance.

"Ah! But what makes you think that coming here will help you recover?" The Wiseman continued, ignoring the bothersome cries of his feathered cap.

"Well, I…just…I,"

"She doesn't have a clue, she's off her nut!"

"SILENCE!" The Wiseman scowled, pointing his eyes up towards his head before resuming with his advice. "Sometimes to recover from a loss, one must first accept that they have not lost their loved one, but have indeed found them."

"Um, oh okay. Thank you very much, Sir." Sarah did not really understand what he meant, and wanted to get away from the trying twosome as quick as she possibly could. "Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but I better go. I've only got a day here, and there's so much I want to discover! It was nice to meet you again!" She scurried over to the far wall, where she recalled the escape route Hoggle had shown her last time she found herself stuck in the Oubliette. Only this time, it was much darker, for she had no candle as he did. She knelt on the floor and rummaged around with her hands until she found a loose, dusty board. Picking it up, she pushed it against the solid wall until it resembled a door, just large enough for her to fit through if it were to open correctly. She hesitated, trying to remember which side she was supposed to pull. She placed her hands on the right side of the board and cautiously pulled it open. She half-expected to be covered in a pile of pots and pans, like Hoggle was before, when he opened the wrong side and was met with a cupboard of cutlery. But to her surprise, she had opened the correct side! She smiled to herself, gazing at the tunnel that stretched out before her, proud that she had done it all on her own.

"Remember…!" The Wiseman hollered, causing Sarah to gasp and jolt back around. She could only see him faintly from the beam of sunlight, which crept in above the grate that sat smugly, metres above the Oubliette. "Things are not always what they seem to be!" In a flash, the Wiseman disappeared out of sight.

"Okay! I will remember! Thank you!" Sarah replied, in an almost mocking tone. She already knew perfectly well, that things were never as they seemed in the Labyrinth. "Why does he get to teleport, and I have to creep around in the Underground?" She muttered to herself, gazing down at her tattered brown shoes. "Come on, then."

She made her way down the murky, dampened passageway, which somehow appeared to be a great deal more sinister than it did at fifteen years of age. The silent moans and lost howls from afar tiptoed into her brain and skulked down into her heart, which thudded with apprehension. The only sounds she could hear was the ever-dripping slime that oozed from the Labyrinth's plumbing. It was only now she understood how much better she felt when she had an annoying, albeit loveable, dwarf by her side.

_"Don't go on!"_

_"This is not the way!"_

She had clearly forgotten about the deafening voices of doom, for they caused her to fly from her feet with terror. A place that was filled with an ominous silence a few seconds ago, was now roaring with sound from the group of faces that were carved on the walls, trying to discourage her. After understanding that they were only there to distract her, she rolled her eyes at them, knowing that they couldn't scare her anymore, especially when she wasn't trying to get anywhere specific anyway. She continued walking until she finally became clear of the False Alarms, and reached a large empty cove, or what she thought was empty at first. Her confidence suddenly melted at the sight of a strange looking creature who sat against the wall in the far corner. Its face was goblin-like but was much larger, and bowed down as if to hide its eyes. It wore grimy blue robes and a shabby brown hat, where Sarah could see strands of platinum blonde hair dangling from underneath it. It carried an empty beggars-pot in its small hands, which were masked by charcoal gloves; too small to be goblin hands, surely?

"Ah! What have we here?" The creature looked up slightly, its voice high and squeaky.

Sarah heaved a sigh. She knew who it was, and it surprised her that he hadn't come up with something more original. Did he really think she would just forget about all of his old tricks? Well, she wasn't going to be fooled this time. She smirked, haughtily, and arrogantly began to pull at the creature's head, hoping it would startle the Goblin King enough for him to realise that she was no longer the gullible child she used to be.

But, to Sarah's surprise, it's head would not come off!

"Ahhh! Get off me, you fraggin' loon!" The creature batted Sarah's hands away, and she leapt back in shock.

"Oh, I'm so sorry I thought you were…"

Her feeble attempt at an explanation became interrupted by a haughty cackle, which echoed from behind her. Turning around, she saw the self-satisfied Goblin King swagger towards her, clapping his hands as he did so. He dressed in ebony breeches, a grey ruffled shirt and glossy leather boots. His hair was still perfectly wild, and its tone was a shade of platinum blonde, one that created a blinding illumination amongst the darkness. His posture was elegant, but sturdy, and his malicious, mismatched eyes gazed leeringly into hers.

"My, my! I have to say, that performance was terribly amusing! Ever thought of going into comedy, Sarah?"

Jareth grinned, derisively. Sarah's rosy red cheeks beamed with humiliation, and it was then she knew that mocking the Wiseman's words probably wasn't one of her finest choices. Seeing her embarrassment, Jareth took the chance to gloat even more. He paced around her with a haughty smile, something which she felt annoyed by. "Tell me, Sarah. Do you enjoy making a fool out of yourself? Because it's something you do an awful lot. Or are you just incredibly stupid?"

His words thrust into her skin like a dozen prickly needles, as she clenched her fists. She wasn't going to put up his torment anymore.

"I was smart enough to defeat you!"

Jareth's expression sharpened, and his laughter suddenly turned to resentment.

"Yes. Indeed, you were. But if you defeated me, then why, may I ask, did you wish to return?" His voice was bitter now, as he spoke the term 'defeated' with much difficulty. He was angry at the fact that the girl who tore away his dignity, and denied him all those years ago, has reappeared into his world just to boast about her former triumphs.

"I don't know. I suppose, I just wanted to get away for a while. My…my mother just…passed away, and I found this book where it said that whoever solves the Labyrinth gets to wish herself away again, so I just…did it, without thinking. I didn't even believe it was going to work." Her tone lowered, and for the

first time she spoke with fear and vulnerability. Jareth gazed at her with an emotionless expression. He had never seen her so frail.

"One day I knew you would find out about that wish, though I always hoped you wouldn't." Jareth spoke a little softer this time.

"Really? Why?" She raised her pitch, a little offended by his words.

"Because!" He snapped, returning to his evil self. "Why would I ever want to see the girl who…overpowered me?" He hissed the words through gritted teeth.

"Well, I thought…"

"You thought WHAT precisely? That I would welcome you back with open arms, and let you parade around my kingdom like you own the place? If that was what you thought, then you really are stupid."

"That's not…" She stopped herself before she uttered the dreaded word 'fair'. "I mean, I thought that you…well, had feelings for me."

Her words took Jareth aback. Even _she _blushed, surprised that something as forward as that came out of her very own mouth. She saw that she had stunned him, and suddenly felt uncomfortable. He did not expect her to talk about such things as feelings. But then, he was no longer dealing with a fifteen-year old girl. She was a young woman now. He could see it in her prudent eyes, in her sultry curves, and in the way her voice had a slightly more huskier tone than it used to, even when she was yelling.

"Oh, you did. And what made you think that?"

"What do you think made me think that? How about the peach, and all the dancing in the ballroom, and the words "fear me, love me, do as I say"! Don't tell me you don't remember that!"

"I say a lot of things, Sarah. Many a word passes my lips. Forgive me if I fail to remember all of them. I find it rather funny, however, how YOU remember those words so clearly. I must have had more of an effect on you than you know."

"You can't fool me! I know how you felt! You wanted me to be your queen! I know it!" Sarah huffed. She was making herself look more and more of a fool, but she couldn't help it.

"Really? Or is that what you wanted." Jareth was twisting all of her words, and he was enjoying it. "After all, _you _are the one who asked to return here, knowing that I would, undoubtedly, still be here. I, on the other hand, would have been happy never to see you again. What did you want, Sarah? Another peach?"

"No! That's NOT what I want! I don't know why I ever came back here! I should have known you were still a disgusting, vile creep! I can't believe I even…"

"Sarah?" A throaty voice called from behind. Sarah turned her head to see a small figure emerge from the shadows. His face, undoubtedly rather large for his body, was wrinkled and grubby, with an oversized nose and beady grey eyes. His hair, what was left of it, was silver and unkempt, and his clothing was brown and soiled. He hobbled up to the duo, fixating his eyes on Sarah with disbelief.

"Hoggle!" Sarah beamed, with glee, before wrapping her arms tightly around the friendly dwarf.

"Sarah, its so good ta see ya! But, what are ya doin' 'ere?"

"I think _I_ should be the one asking _you _that very question, Hogweed!" Jareth snapped, watching the joyful reunion in disgust. "What are _you _doing here? Shouldn't you be off gardening, or cowering in a corner somewhere? What if someone enters my Labyrinth without permission? You should be there to stop them!"

"Oh, Jareth, you knows as well as I does. No bugga' has come to the Labyrinth fer years!" Hoggle stated this with confidence, to which Sarah smiled, very proud of the fact that her once fearful friend was now facing up to the man whom he used to be terrified of. "How on earth did you get back, Sarah?"

"It was simple really! I found out that by beating Jareth and conquering the Labyrinth, I get a free wish to come here!" She declared with perkiness. Jareth glowered at her, knowing she was trying to make him look foolish.

"Ah, yes! Of course! I forgot all about that!" professed Hoggle. "And don't forget the other four wishes that you…OWW!"

Jareth had stamped his foot brutally on Hoggle's little black boots, hoping that Sarah had not heeded his last few words. But it was too late.

"Four wishes?" she asked, inquisitively.

Hoggle was about to explain before Jareth shot him a menacing stare.

"No, don't matter." Hoggle replied, hanging his head and shuffling his feet.

"I want to know, Hoggle! I have a right to know what I am entitled to!"

The dwarf kept his head suspended, fearing that if he looked at her his heart would melt at her pleas. Realising that she did not one to get her friend into trouble, she turned to gape demandingly at Jareth, who scoffed and clenched his teeth.

"Hoggle! I want you to return to your duties, immediately! _I _will tell Sarah what about the other wishes, but I need you to get back to work! If you behave, I will allow you to spend some time with your…friend later on!" the King ordered. Hoggle grumbled, but obliged to his master's command, and smiled a goodbye to Sarah, before shuffling off to a nearby tunnel. Sarah frowned, waiting impatiently for Jareth to tell her about what she was owed. "Fine! I shall tell you!" The Goblin King emitted a hefty sigh as he spoke. "Because you…beat me, as you so put it, as well as being granted the gift of returning to my Labyrinth once, you also are permitted four additional wishes that you must use during your time here."

"Four more wishes?" Sarah's face lit up. She had never felt so powerful. She couldn't help but appear smug, as Jareth grimaced at the thought of her being in control yet again. Her brow suddenly burrowed in confusion. "Why four? Isn't it usually three?"

"This is not a fairytale, Sarah. Everything is always one extra in my kingdom. You should know that by now!"

Sarah thought back to when Jareth had bequeathed her thirteen hours in which to find her baby brother, but to her dismay he persisted in shortening the hours, the closer she came. So, how did she know he wouldn't take away her wishes before her time was up? Well, she wasn't going to let that happen. This was her chance to get everything she wanted and she wasn't going to let a crotchety old Goblin King stand in her way.


	4. The First

"So, what are the rules?" enquired Sarah, determined to start the ball rolling as soon as she possibly could. Her bold stance and arrogant tone differed extremely to the delicate shell she had been back in the real world. Right now, she felt that her decision to revisit the Labyrinth was the best one she had ever made. Not only did she get to make four wishes, but she also free from the prying eyes of her meddlesome, although well-meaning, stepmother.

"There are no rules! This is the Labyrinth. The only restriction is that whatever you wish for must take place in _my _world, not in yours. Therefore, I cannot make you rich, bring world peace or provide you and your family with an endless supply of mini muffins!" insisted Jareth, becoming more and more curious about the fiercely-minded young lady that stood before him.

Her sudden confidence concerned him and intrigued him at the same time. He was certain she was going to be more of a challenge than last time, and wouldn't be easily deceived. But, what worried him the most, was his lingering doubt about himself. The Goblin King prided himself on being able to make any susceptible damsel to fall into his trap, but what if he found himself falling into hers. It would be difficult for any man resist those velvet green eyes, and ebony brown locks that swept freely against her milky skin.

"Oh," replied Sarah, who suddenly fell deep in thought. "Well, I guess I'll have to think about what I want then."

Jareth's face was veiled with apprehension. The last thing he wanted was for her to wish for something that would effect his status as king. She could wish for him to be her slave? Or to take over his castle? He knew that she could wish for absolutely anything.

"You know, my Labyrinth isn't the same as you remember it, Sarah. Its gotten very unkempt and dismal. I doubt you'd find anything of use to you here. How about we just forget this encounter ever happened, and part ways? Here, I'll even give a parting gift, for your troubles."

He produced a crystal from his sleeve, which quickly transformed into a dainty perfume bottle. It was made from black glass and had a small engraving on it, which she didn't care to read.

"Oh, please! I didn't fall for that last time. What makes you think I will fall for that again?"

She scoffed at his gesture, and pushed the bottle aside. All the things he could have offered her and he chose and eau de toilette. She couldn't help but feel that the Goblin King was losing his touch.

"Very well. Seeing as you have this hold over me until you make up your mind, you may as well join me in my castle. I will not be to compelled wait around in this dingy Oubliette all day!" he declared, presenting his left hand, which indicated that Sarah should hold it. She wavered, and he sensed her hesitation. "Come now, Sarah, it's only a hand. Or do you think it might mean more than that? Do you think by taking my hand, you will suddenly become my queen, and I will bind you to my chamber, and fulfil my yearning desires!"

Jareth smirked, causing Sarah to feel very awkward. She wished she had never implied such brash things. Looking up at him, she realised that he was well and truly out of her league, in every sense. His ethereal handsomeness was no match for her human plainness. Everything about him sparkled. Not in an obvious way like a glittering vampire, but softly and subtly, he glistened in the fragments of sunlight. He was beautiful, but he was wicked, and Sarah began to feel intimidated by his presence.

All the same, she did not want to be stuck in the Oubliette any more than he did, so reluctantly, she took his hand. Just his touch sent shivers down her spine. Even though his hands were masked, she felt a strange tingling feeling as he gripped her naked hand tightly. He tossed a crystal up in the air and she watched as it formed a silent white explosion. Sparkles of dust and shimmering ashes fell before them, completely eclipsing the dismal ambience of the Oubliette. It looked rather beautiful.

When the dust had cleared, Sarah and Jareth found themselves in the foyer of the castle that lay in the centre of the Labyrinth. Two flaming candles hung above the empty throne, which rested in the centre of the hall, waiting for its owner's arrival. A few goblins scuttled to and from the foyer pretending to appear useful, when really they were just sneaking ale inside the castle. Sarah didn't really pay attention the goblins and ogled the remaining surroundings. This was the place she had fought so hard to reach numerous years ago, and now, with a poof of pixie dust, she was here within seconds.

"What was with all the dust and glitter? Couldn't you have just teleported us here with a click of the fingers or something?" she quizzed.

"I thought we'd arrive in style," sighed Jareth. Why was she so hard to satisfy? "Didn't you like it?"

"Oh, no, of course I liked it!" she exclaimed, oddly aware that she did not want to offend the King. "I thought it was beautiful!"

Jareth frowned at her, perplexed. Was she being nice? She had so much power over him and yet she seemed strangely timid once more. Her frame of mind seemed to change more than the walls of the Labyrinth. She appeared self-assured one minute, and demure the next. Jareth knew to be mistrustful of every word she spoke, since she had so much power over him for the remainder of the day.

Sarah was now feeling a little embarrassed, for she knew that she went a smidgen too far, describing a fog of ashes and smoke as beautiful. Her eyes frantically darted around the room. She noticed how unglamorous it all was. There wasn't a hint of colour. Everything was brown and grey. She couldn't believe that a King with such magical powers lived in a castle that gave the impression of being more medieval than it did magical. It was not at all like her fantasies as a young girl. As a child, she dreamed of living in a sumptuous palace, where she would dress in a variety of prestigious gowns and attend fancy balls, just like the one that Jareth had formerly put together in a ruse to distract her from rescuing Toby. And that was when she had an idea...

"I know what my first wish will be!"

"So soon? Are you sure you don't want to think about it some more?" Jareth, who had strolled over to his throne, glanced at her in surprise. He tried not to display his uneasiness, but inside he was terrified.

"No! I know what I want! It's not like there's much to wish for in this place anyway! Besides, I know what you're thinking. You want to stall me as much as possible, so that I'll run out of time and I won't be able to make all four wishes. You're just scared that my wishes will humiliate you or take away your position as King. Aren't you?"

Jareth stood back up, and leisurely swaggered over to her, before placing his hands on his hips in a threatening stance. He glared at her for a while, almost as if he was going to shout, but then his expression softened.

"Clever girl. It seems I keep underestimating you." he announced. She smiled at this, happy that someone as shrewd as the Goblin King had called her 'clever'. "Well then, what do you wish?"

"I wish…that I could have a glorious masquerade ball like before, with dancing and music and beautiful ball-gowns. And this time, I won't feel afraid, or concerned about trying to rescue my brother, and no one will laugh at me, because it will be my ball!"

Jareth creased his left brow, staggered by her wish. He did not expect her to waste her wish on something so frivolous.

"Interesting choice. May I be so bold as to ask why?" he enquired, pacing around her a couple of times.

"I…I don't know really. I guess that I just want to please my inner child. Growing up, I'd always dream of being at a magnificent ball, like Cinderella!…Well, not exactly like Cinderella. I don't want to have to run away at midnight. Not this time."

She was sure behind his expressionless stare he was laughing at her.

"Yes, I remember. Pity you had to leave in such a hurry. You missed out on so much. We had a cake and everything." he smirked.

"I left because I had to save my brother! You knew exactly what you were doing when you forced Hoggle to give me that peach! You thought that you could seduce me away from Toby and…"

She stopped speaking, realising that yet again, she had declared that Jareth was trying to woo her.

"Seduce you? Is that what you think?" he gloated, amused by the shade of crimson her cheeks had turned. "Very well, Sarah, you will have your ball. Expect it to be ready for this evening."

"Why can't I have it now?" she moaned, sounding like a bratty teenage girl all over again. "You're just trying to stall me, aren't you?"

"Sarah, you cannot expect me to prepare an entire ball for you right this second! The ballroom needs to be prepared, and a guest list must be made!"

"A guest list?" she asked.

"Why, yes! You need guests at a party! You didn't think it would merely be you and I prancing around the floor, did you? Otherwise I might try and…seduce you." he sneered, rendering her humiliated. "Your ball will be ready at seven o'clock tonight. I will arrange a room for you. There you can prepare yourself. You will be collected precisely at seven! But first, dinner!"

"Dinner?"

"I gather you must be hungry, unless the rats in the Oubliette have already satisfied your appetite?" he teased.

"Eww, no! Don't be absurd!"

"It's settled then! While dinner is prepared, you have permission to roam about my Labyrinth! Go and explore, make some friends, or whatever! Just make sure you return for dinner in sixty-one minutes! And don't break anything! You caused enough damage last time."

She shot him an evil glance, annoyed that he was already ordering her about like she was one of the goblins. Usually, she would resist his commands, but she _did _want to see the sights of the Labyrinth once more, so she decided to remain silent. What's more, she did not want to waste any more seconds, for she had three more wishes to think about and wasn't going to be played for time. Jareth was already showing signs of how insecure he had become, ensuring that he referred to the Labyrinth as '_his_'every time he mentioned it. So, Sarah decided that she would, for now, do as she was told, and wander around the Labyrinth until her next desire had been conceived.

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><p><em>Could I be so bold as to ask for anyone reading this to say 'hi' in the review section? I'd like to know if I have any readers, so I know soon I should put the next chapter up. Thank you very much :)<em>


	5. The Second

Sarah hurried through the bustling Goblin City, glimpsing at each of the dusty stone cabins as she passed them. The sky was a daunting pink, and though the city was occupied, it enclosed an air of emptiness. Some of the goblins hung outside their abode's, watching her intently, with hostile expressions. They considered the trouble she had caused the last time she encountered the city, and something told her they would not let it happen twice. One house retained a broken roof. Sarah secretly giggled at this, for she recalled the moment when Ludo had ripped it apart to squeeze himself in, all those years ago. The sudden thoughts of the friendly giant reassured her that she didn't need to feel so scared. The Labyrinth contained many frightening creatures, but none of them ever turned out to be as harmful as they first appeared. Or so she thought.

Finally, she reached the outskirts of the city, and departed to find herself in a ghostly forest. The ambience filled with a melancholy silence which Sarah found daunting, even more so than the Goblin City. Sometimes the trees would rustle and hiss, and Sarah could have sworn they were whispering her name. At one point, a raven fluttered above her and hooted, loudly. These little noises frightened her, for she was alone, and none of her friends were in sight. She strolled deeper into the woods, not really knowing where she was going, and even though she was scared, the danger of becoming lost slightly enthused her. Her eyes filled with curiosity and wonder. The last time she came here, she only had one thing on her mind, but this time she could stop and appreciate the beauties and oddities of the Labyrinth. She felt the bark of the misshapen trees, and smelt the fresh unearthly air, tasting the fantasy of it all.

After she paced several more yards, something from afar began to seize her attention. There appeared to be dense, black smoke arising out of the trees, surging into her senses. Breathing it in, she savoured the thick, toxic flavour. It was invigorating. She pushed her way through the trees, trying to find out where the smoke was coming from. Finally, she reached a small, welcoming cottage, with a chimney, streaming with the smoke that had allured her. Someone must have been cooking, but Sarah could not smell any food. The cabin was much better kept than the houses in the Goblin City, and seemed considerably picturesque, like it should have been in the middle of a meadow, rather than a murky forest.

She gazed at the building for a while, wondering if she should enter. She felt a little unsure, but her inquisitiveness overruled her anxiety. Walking around to the other side, she found a petite door, only just big enough for her to squeeze through. When she got inside, she found herself surrounded by quaint, little pieces of furniture, fashioned from logs, twigs, and other such kindling. There were chairs, a table, and a small bed, all made for a goblin. There were no lights, so she treaded slowly and carefully across the floor. She entered another room, which looked like a kitchen, filled with grubby wooden cupboards, and cutlery which hung from the walls. In there, she became startled by a female goblin, who seemed to be cooking something in a large black pot. This particular goblin had long grey hair, and dressed in black rags and black pointy boots. A black cat sat on the counter and watcher her, faithfully. Neither of them noticed Sarah's intrusion, as the goblin continued to stir a mysterious substance in the vessel, inaudibly muttering to herself. Whatever she was cooking looked otherworldly, and as Sarah peered closer, she noticed the pot contained nothing more than a slimy green goo.

"Excuse me." uttered Sarah, nervously.

"Huh?" The goblin looked up at her, rather annoyed that she had been interrupted. "Who's there?" she asked, placing the ladle back into the pot and scanning the room irritably. Suddenly, the black cat hissed. "Quiet, Boo Boo!" she yelled, kicking the cat so that it ran from the room and out the backdoor.

"I'm sorry to intrude. My name is Sarah. It's nice to meet you. Miss."

The goblin staggered closer to Sarah, and squinted her shadowy eyes to get a better view. When her vision became clear, she smiled, widely, exhibiting a single stained tooth.

"Oh, hello, dear." she replied, politely. Her voice was that of a sweet elderly woman, clashing immensely with her creepy exterior. "Baba's the name! Pretty little thing, ain't cha? You hungry?"

Sarah grimaced as she watched Baba reach up and pluck a small maggot from one of the warts that perched upon her dingy yellow skin, but tried to hide her disgust by smiling courteously. The goblin seemed friendly enough, but it was hard to tell in the dimly candle-lit room.

"No, its okay. My dinner is waiting for me back at the castle. Thanks anyway!" she answered, gawking at the peculiar green substance than bubbled beyond her. "Baba, may I ask what you're doing with that slime?"

"Slime? What slime?…Oh, this?" she responded, pointing at the pot. "Why, I'm cooking it, o' course!" Baba took a sip of the emerald gunk with a large ladle, before nodding her in accord, and returning the spoon to its bowl. Some of the sludge drooled from her crackled lips, and dribbled onto the dusty floor.

"Oh, really? It doesn't look very much like food!" Sarah remarked. The smell was revolting, like a combination of rotten fish and corpses. It reminded her of the time she first got a whiff of the Bog of Eternal Stench, and she was beginning to feel queasy.

"That's 'cause I ain't put the food in yet!" Baba scurried over to the backdoor and closed it, locking it as she did so. Sarah began to feel edgy, noticing that the windows were all boarded up with planks of wood.

"Um…why did you lock the door?" Sarah gulped.

"Oh, I just don't want any of the smell gettin' out." replied the goblin, who toddled back over to the pot. "Baba don't want those pesky faeries to steal the good stuff!"

There was something odd about the way Baba appeared to be so fixated on the goo. Suddenly, she didn't seem so trustworthy anymore. The way she wittered to herself and licked her lips as she stirred frantically, began to scare Sarah, and somehow she knew she was going to regret her next question.

"What food are you going to put in it?"

There was a brief pause. Baba looked up at her, with a frown on her face, as tiny beads of sweat trickled down Sarah's cheeks. The old hag then shot her a wide grin, which only worried her more. Why was she taking so long to answer? Baba stepped closer to her, and gazed deeply into her eyes. Sarah hadn't noticed before but the goblin had vivid green eyes, similar to the colour of the slime that still sat in the pot, gurgling vigorously. Baba then touched Sarah's right cheek. Her hand felt dry and warty. After that, her eyes started to glow.

"You!" the goblin barked, before letting out a great cackle.

"What?" Sarah gasped, trying to back away from the goblin, but the power of her stare had frozen her in her spot and she couldn't move. Baba's eyes blazed more and more, and it was then Sarah grasped that she was no ordinary goblin, but more like a witch! And the bulky charcoal pot was actually a cauldron! Baba laughed some more, then licked her lips. "So pretty! You're going to be delicious!"

"Please, don't do this!" panted Sarah, trying her hardest to pull herself away from Baba's intense grip. But Baba's eyes pounded into hers, rendering her helpless. She flinched as the witch ran her scabby finger over Sarah's, face then put the same finger in her mouth.

"Mmmm…tastes good!"

"Don't! Please! Let me go!" Sarah squealed.

"Why would I let you go?" Baba's voice wasn't pleasant anymore. In fact, it had changed altogether! The sweet, little old lady had been replace with a gruff, croaky beast. Sarah noticed that she had grown to at least seven feet in height, causing her to cower below the bulky hag. The witches' emerald eyes continued to pierce into hers, which terrified her, finding it impossible to close them. "I'm going to enjoy eating a mortal girl!"

Sarah tried to scream some more, but her throat had become dry. She felt Baba's hands grip tightly around her arms, so tight that it hurt. Baba was starving. The saliva spurted out of her lips and splashed against Sarah's face, as she leaned it closer. Opening her mouth she prepared to take the first bite. Realising there was no escape, Sarah knew that there was only one hope; Jareth! She hoped she wouldn't have to squander any of her wishes, but it was the only way she was going to get out alive. Gathering up the only strength in her voice she had left, she began to whisper the words…

"Goblin King, I wish you would come and rescue me!"

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><p><em>Aww, thanks so much for reviewing guys! Chapters will be uploaded regularly! xxx<em>


	6. The Banquet

In less than a second, Baba was struck! The spell that bound Sarah to her was broken, causing the witch to tumble to the ground. She screeched as Jareth hurled her against the wall, his black cloak swooshing about the room like a raven in flight. Sarah gasped for air as she watched the Goblin King loom over Baba, who had now shrunk back to her former size. He looked so elegant and heroic, now clothed in a velvet rouge blazer, black breeches, and russet riding boots. His feathery hair blew gently in the sudden breeze that appeared, as if out of thin air, when he presented himself.

"Baba, what have I told you about teasing the mortals?" he asked in a cavalier fashion, sighing to show his lack of enthusiasm. Even five years on, Sarah still had the same tendency to land herself in a quandrary of misfortune wherever she went.

The witch scrunched up her face and crossed her arms, admitting defeat as the Goblin King pinned her up like a picture.

"That girl should not have come 'ere in the first place! What did she expect? Trespassing into Baba's house, in the middle of a bloody forest! With black smoke coming out the chimney pipes! What is she, stupid?"

Sarah couldn't see Jareth's face, but she could have sworn that he was laughing silently. She stood up, dusted the dirt off of her jeans, and wiped away the moisture from her eyes.

"In my defence. you seemed sweet enough at first!" she emphasized. "Who'd have thought that you would turn out to be such a vile, ugly witch?"

"What did you call me?" screamed Baba, who tried to break free from the King's powerful grasp.

"You will not harm Sarah! She is our guest here…unfortunately." he muttered, half hoping Sarah hadn't heard that last word. Then, he slammed Baba against the wall once more to assert his power. "Now, for your punishment, you will take yourself directly to the Bog of Eternal Stench and wash your entire face in it! Understood?"

He dropped Baba to the floor, and she landed with a thud.

"Yes, master! Understood, from tip to toe!" Baba unlocked the door and rushed outside, hiding a smile as she did so. It seemed that Baba loved nothing more than to bathe in the repulsive liquids that constituted the Bog of Eternal Stench, but like hell was she going to let Jareth know this.

The Goblin King then turned to Sarah, and titled his head, with a slight smirk. She looked so feeble, and yet she still had managed to hold on to her beauty. She pursed her lips, trying to gain some of her confidence back. Her loose long locks fell upon her face, as she watched him, vigilantly, waiting for him to speak.

"I leave you alone for a few minutes, and you almost get yourself eaten by a goblin! My, my, Sarah. You really are special, aren't you?" he taunted playfully, to which she let out a dainty smile. Even though his remarks annoyed her, she was very relieved to see him. "Well, I hope you're hungry!"

Sarah quickly lifted her head and scanned the area. She and Jareth were no longer standing in the witches house, but instead she found herself within a beautiful, medieval-style banqueting hall. The room, which Sarah guessed was located inside of the actual castle, had the same stone cold walls that every building in the Labyrinth seemed to have, but this particular room was not as murky as the others she had seen. The entire area was gently illumined by shimmering candles that seemed to change colour every few seconds; from passion pink, to deep sapphire, to sunshine yellow - all of her favourite colours. In the centre of the room, sat a great mahogany table, which overflowed with the most scrumptious-looking food Sarah had ever seen. She licked her lips at the sight of it all, from the succulent lemon roasted turkey, to the aromatic peach stew. Many different aromas enriched her senses, and they were all pleasant. The feast was large enough for an entire kingdom of diners, but this particular table had only two dinner plates laid out. Her stomach rumbled. Jareth, who remained still, watching her ravenous expression, chuckled heavily, and led her over to the table. He pulled out one of the chairs, waiting for her to walk over and sit herself down. Once she did, he elegantly placed himself in the opposing seat.

Sarah felt nervous. It was all so romantic and graceful. The Goblin King was so well-groomed, and yet she sat in her grimy jeans and dirty sweater. She watched as he stylishly carved off a large portion of turkey, and placed onto her serving dish. Without a word, he then proceeded to garnish his own plate full, and started to eat. Uncertainly, Sarah did the same, mirroring his actions, trying not to spill anything or get any food around her mouth. Jareth sniggered at this, quietly, before pouring a glass of peach champagne, which she sipped slowly, to cleanse her palette.

"This is delicious!" she announced, finally breaking the stillness that had enclosed the room for the past eleven minutes.

Jareth stopped eating for a second, smiled at her, and then retuned to his meal without saying a word. His silence made her wish she hadn't spoken at all.

Continuing to devour the delectable flavours, she began to watch Jareth from the corner of her eye, as if curious to see a Goblin King do such an earthly thing as eating. Even the way he consumed his food was performed in such a classy manner. He slowly masticated each portion, bit by bit, unlike Sarah who usually stuffed the food in her mouth like she hadn't eaten for days. But watching Jareth made her think more carefully about how she presented herself in front of him. It was almost like she was trying to please him, but she didn't know quite why.

"Do you mind gaping at me while I am eating?" Jareth asked abruptly, without even looking up at her.

"I'm…I'm sorry" she mumbled, feeling embarrassed. "I just didn't realise that you ate…food!"

"What did you think I ate? Baba's green mucus?" he enquired, causing them both to burst into an array of laughter.

"No!" she chuckled. "I guess I just always thought of you never having to eat! I always thought you were…immortal or something."

"I'm surprised you thought of me at all" he sneered, wiping his mouth with a table cloth, and placing his knife and fork to one side.

"I didn't! I mean…not very often, but its hard to forget a Goblin King once you've met one, even if you did defeat him!"

Jareth huffed loudly, annoyed that she was still boasting about her triumph over him. Why did she always have to ruin the mood? Why couldn't she just sit in her place and be polite, like he assumed other women did? How could a girl so beautiful, be so rude and boastful?

"You did _not_ defeat me Sarah! I'm still alive, aren't I? You simply made it so I could never harm you, or your family again! I have no power over you, and once these wishes are over with, you will have no power over me too!"

"So, you're only being nice to me because you know that once this is over, I will have no power over you?" she fumed.

"Well, what else would you want me to be nice to you for, hmm?" he asked daringly. "Don't tell me you're actually starting to like me!"

"Of course, I'm not! It's completely ludicrous to even think that! I've never _liked _you! It was always you who liked me!" she retorted, her face red with anger and embarrassment.

"Did I?" he posed, with an innocent tone. It seemed the Goblin King really did like to tease.

"Yes, you did! I know you did! I could see it in your eyes all those years ago, the way you looked at me. You wanted me, didn't you Jareth? You wanted me to be your Queen!"

Jareth seemed stunned by her forwardness, as did she. Sarah breathed heavily, trying to understand what she had just insinuated. She didn't even know why she was saying it, but for some reason it was vital that she got him to admit that _he _had wanted _her_, and not the other way around. She was sure that she had felt absolutely nothing for him when she was fifteen, but she was finding it hard to convince herself. Even Jareth could see the humiliation in her eyes, as he lowered his tone.

"Well, I suppose there is no point denying that the thrill of the chase, alongside the moon's magnificent glare, _did _engender feelings of interest on that fateful day, all those years ago." Jareth admitted, though Sarah was sure he was just saying it to make her feel less embarrassed. "I was curious. As I'm sure you were."

"No," she murmured quietly, still feeling exceedingly uncomfortable.

"Come, Sarah. Do not deny that there wasn't a small part of your heart that became inquisitive, as to what it would have been like to rule by the side of a handsome Goblin King. Imagine if you hadn't said those ill-fated words when I offered you your dreams. Imagine if you had given in to your desires. Are you sure you weren't curious, hmm?" His voice was deep and seductive.

"No! I had a brother to save! Besides. I was fifteen years old!" she yelled, determined not to fall into one of his traps.

"Yes, you _were _young. So innocent…naïve…childish…the Virgin Mary figure that many men would appear to yearn for. I could see it in your eyes, Such a sad love inside, one that longed to taste the forbidden fruit for the first time. It was a damn good thing you were only fifteen and in search of your brother! Otherwise, who knows how the night would have ended!" Jareth's eyelids flickered, paying attention to Sarah's pulsating heartbeat. He could almost feel her trembling breath from across the table as it quivered toward him in an display of sweet, tantalizing senses. They both sat in solitude for a while, reflecting on what he had said, and also, what could have been, until Jareth spoke again. "Let's not dwell on the past shall we? What's done is done, and that was such a long time ago! I'm sure we have both moved on since then."

"I agree. Moving on is the key." she exclaimed, nodding with a reserved dignity.

"Speaking of moving on, did you ever manage to resolve your differences with your stepmother? You used to speak of her as quite a witch!"

"Yes, I did!" She giggled, relieved to see the mood lighten again. "I mean, we still have our bad days sometimes, and its not like she could ever be my real mother..."

Sarah paused, remembering why she came back to the Labyrinth in the first place; to recover from the loss of her real mother. Jareth noticed Sarah's sadness.

"Your mother?" How did she…"

"…I don't want to talk about it" Sarah snapped.

"Very well," he responded, unsure of what he was supposed to do in this alien situation. It seemed that the Goblin King had never really mourned before, or if he had, he did not know how to console others who had."…but I'm sure that she did love you Sarah."

"How do _you _know?" she replied, with tears that stung her cheeks as they danced along her face.

"Well, why wouldn't she love you? Sure, you can be stubborn and irritable at times, but that's no reason for a mother to detest her own daughter now, is it?" he rambled, before noticing that Sarah was clutching onto an antique locket. "What is that?" he questioned, reaching for her neck to get a closer look at the old pendant.

"Oh, it was left for me after my mother ran away from home. My dad told me that she left it to show me that she still loved me and wouldn't forget me. I thought that one day she was going to come back for me."

Jareth twiddled the locket between his gloved fingers. He seemed strangely interested in such a rusty old necklace. Rather disturbed by this, Sarah pulled it away from him.

"I'm sure your mother was planning to return to your life someday, Sarah."

Tears welled up in her eyes, as Jareth lightly placed his hand on her face to try and calm her.

"I'm sorry. I've been a little emotional ever since Lysander told me that…"

"…Lysander?" Jareth asked, pryingly, with an impulsive apprehension in his eyes.

"Oh, he's just my friend…My best friend actually!"

"I see." he noted.

"He's NOT my boyfriend!" she demanded.

"And why would it matter if he was? You're clearly old enough to be in a relationship. Truthfully, I'd be surprised if you _didn't _have a boyfriend. After all, you are a woman now," he voice, admiring her feminine figure.

Sarah felt uncomfortable with the way he judged her. In truth, she felt discomfited by the entire conversation. Abruptly, she stood up from her chair, to which Jareth nobly responded by also standing up.

"If its okay, I would like for you to show me my room now." she instructed.

"As you wish." Jareth obliged, and led her out of the dining hall, into the main lobby.

"You do know that wasn't an actual wish, do you?" she panicked.

Jareth simply laughed, before pulling a crystal out from his sleeve. He twirled it around with his fingers, then threw it directly onto the dusty floor. Surprisingly, it erupted into a magical spiral staircase, made of smooth ivory. The staircase bedazzled Sarah, as she watched it gradually rotate up into a cloud of mist, seeming to lead into the unknown. Once it had weaved its way, Jareth began to ascend the stairs. Sarah assumed she was supposed to follow him, so carefully she made her way up the twisted steps. When she had reached the top, she found herself at the beginning of a long stretched-out corridor. The enchanted marble walls either side were lit up by floating golden torches, giving the atmosphere a dreamlike appearance. Every few yards, there was a door, and Sarah wanted to know what was behind each one. The castle was a Tardis; much bigger on the inside than it was outside, and she was fascinated. She felt like she was in some kind of messed-up Disney movie!

They commenced pacing their way down the rickety hallway, with Sarah walking in front and Jareth inches behind. She was oddly comforted by his closeness, and she knew, in the moment, that she wouldn't have minded if he had placed his hand on her back - for extra support, of course! In fact, as she turned her head to try and gaze at everything, she failed to notice the vertical step in front of her, and if it wasn't for Jareth's convenient proximity, she would have fell head over heels and made a complete buffoon of herself!…Instead, she just made a slight baboon of herself, as she stumbled a little, so that she had to grab hold of Jareth's upper leg for safety.

"Steady there, Sarah!" he remarked, chuckling as he helped her up, "If anyone saw us, they'd think you were trying to seduce me." He grinned wickedly.

"Just keep walking!" she huffed, as she marched off down the corridor indicating for him to follow. When she realised that he was not following her, she turned around and scowled. "Are you just trying to cheese me off? Come on!"

"Why would I want to go over there? This is your room!" Jareth stated, casually. He stood by a door, in a cavalier fashion, and dangled a set of keys, all shaped like skeletons, from his gloved hands. "I don't know where you think you're going." he sneered.

Awkwardly, she strode back up to him, her face red with anger and embarrassment, mismatching his expression of amusement. Jareth then unlocked the door and, pushed it open. Sarah brushed past him, coyly, and stepped inside. It was then she breathed in a sigh of bewilderment, astounded with the beauty of it all. She had no idea that such a dreary-looking castle could enclose a room that was so enchanting! A bedroom fit for a princess - It was every girls fairytale! There must have been at least fifty dazzling dresses, which suspended from animated butterfly pegs, waiting anxiously for Sarah to try them on. A large dressing table sat at the far end with a vast mirror, and cosmetic case with only the finest brands of make-up. There was even a small hair salon, where two friendly-looking female goblins awaited her arrival! Everything was exceedingly classy, and looked as if it had just fallen out of a seventeenth- century Venetian catalogue. Sarah exhibited a wide smile on her face, forgetting all about the rage, sadness and humiliation she had felt before. She was simply amazed that she stood in her very own dressing room, and would soon have her very own ball.

"This is amazing, Jareth!" she cried. But when she turned to thank him, she found that the King had already disappeared.

"This way, sweetie pie," indicated one of the friendly goblins, who clutched Sarah's shoulders and led her over to the dressing table.

Sarah sat herself down, and gawped at her reflection in the mirror. She didn't realise how rough she looked, and immediately felt mortified that the Goblin King had been viewing her this way. Her cheeks were pink, and her eyes were still swollen from all the crying she did the night before.

"We'll get you looking like a princess for the ball!" proclaimed the other goblin, to which Sarah smiled, graciously. Though, she really didn't know how two unsightly goblins would help her to look pretty, but they seemed gracious and willing, and most importantly, un-witch-like!


	7. The Masquerade

Throughout the rest of the afternoon, Sarah allowed herself to act like the diva she never was. She was spoilt and pampered, and she seemed to enjoy herself, even if she was being indulged by two unattractive goblins! First came the hair; her long dark tresses were washed using the finest tropical fruits, and cut into a sleek style, with crystal clips at either side. Then her came her make-up; elegant but youthful. She had chosen a crimson-coloured lipstick and classic black mascara to highlight her pout and hazel eyes. Most of the hours, however, were spent on the dress, for Sarah was adamant that she would wear the ideal gown if she were to have the perfect ball. She must have tried on at least twenty of them, before deciding on the right one. Some were too frilly, and some were too revealing, but finally Sarah had found one that suited her tremendously. It was a long midnight-blue ballgown, with a halter-neck, which fastened by a small platinum owl brooch. It exposed little cleavage, but a lot of her slender back, and it captured every curve of her lean figure. The dress exhibited Sarah's innocence in a whole new light. For even though she was pure, she was no longer a child and the dress proved exactly that.

She smiled to herself in the mirror, pleased with what she saw. Strangely, she was very excited about going to the ball with Jareth. It was almost like she wanted him to like her. And why wouldn't he? Any man would be a fool not to find her attractive.

[knock, knock, knock]

Sarah jumped up in excitement, prior to retaining herself and gracefully swaggering over to the door. She took a deep breath, before leisurely tugging the doorknob and calmly pulling it backwards, ensuring that she portrayed herself in the most courteous way possible. She battered her eyelids and pursed her lips slightly, attempting not to be overly-obvious. However, Sarah was noticeably disappointed with what she saw at the other side of the door.

A lofty, dark-haired, nobleman presented himself before her. He was dressed in navy debonair attire, which coordinated with the sapphire dress she was wearing. His long, thick hair was tied back neatly away from his face. He had muscled arms and broad shoulders, but his full-lipped smiled told her that he was more of a soft-touch than he appeared. His deep hazel eyes were warm and inviting, and even though they were set beneath thick black eyebrows, they expressed happiness at the sight of the becoming young girl, as he smiled charmingly at her. He seemed handsome enough, a handsome prince that every girl would dream of having, but for some reason he wasn't exactly what Sarah had been hoping for.

"Hello Sir, I'm…"

"…Sarah. Yes, I know. Jareth has told me all about you!" he interjected, speaking with a strong British twang, comparable to that of Jareth's, but with less mockery and more congeniality. "Permit me to introduce myself. The name is Rainu, Sir Tomas Rainu of the Underground Knossos to be precise. But please, just call me Tom."

Tom held out his firm hand, and Sarah placed her swan like fingers into his. He did not shake her hand, but lifted it up to his lips and planted a firm kiss on it. Sarah blushed a little, but Tom simply smiled.

"You look absolutely breath-taking, Sarah. Jareth said you would be, but I never believed in angels before I met you" he expressed. He was truly a gentlemen, maybe a bit mawkish but overall he was a nice date. "I'm sorry. That was a little brazen of me. I don't do this very often" he admitted, following it with a deep, hearty laugh. "Now, I hear this is _your _ball, so I will do my best to make sure that you have wonderful time. Whatever you need, you just ask me, okay?"

"Okay, thank you very much!" she nervously replied, linking her arm with his as they walked down the corridor together.

"Do not look so afraid, my dear. This is your big night!" Tom beamed, as they made there way through the corridor, down the spiral staircase and into a magical ballroom.

The masquerade was more than wonderful. The circular room glistened with enchantment and allure. The ceiling was adorned with the most exclusive chandeliers, which illuminated the dancers, who serenaded each other across the dance-floor. Every guest wore a magnificent regal costume, appearing much more dignified than Sarah had expected, and when she and Tom entered the ballroom every last guest watched them in admiration. All eyes were on her and she loved it, even if it was a pretend party which she had requested. Nobody could resist marvelling at her beauty, especially Tom, who immediately took her by the hand and swept her across the floor. Lightly, they glided, like two turtle doves soaring through the sky, synchronising their every move. Sarah was surprised at how good a dancer she was. She fluttered across the floor so elegantly, as if she was as light as a feather. None of the female dancers were as gorgeous as Sarah, even behind their masks she could tell that they were much older than her and didn't have her innocence or virtue. In truth, there was only one other becoming woman. She had long russet curls, and a dazzling smile. Her dress was an emerald green, with ruffles flowing to the floor. Now, ordinarily, Sarah wouldn't have minded that there was another young beautiful woman at the ball, but when she noticed who the girls' date was, she couldn't help but feel envious. For there he was, at the back of the room, sitting on a pile of silk pillows, with his arm around the woman's waist, smiling at her intently.

Jareth wore a jet black ensemble with a regency shirt and a shimmering cloak. She had never seen him so sophisticated. Everything about him sparkled. Even his hair appeared to have glitter in it. He outshone every single vampire that had ever twinkled in the sunshine. She was so absorbed with him that while she was dancing she accidentally tripped over Tom's feet.

"Watch yourself there, my beauty" voiced Tom, as he smartly caught her fall. "Maybe we should cease dancing for a while. Oh look, there's Jareth and Helena, shall we greet them" he exclaimed, already sauntering towards the couple, and dragging Sarah along with him. "Jareth, Helena, may I present to you the lovely Sarah!"

Jareth rose to his feet, directing his eyes towards Sarah, and at once, was startled by her exquisiteness. Not even _he _expected her to make such an impressive transformation. His pupils dilated at the sight of her curvaceous figure and long, flowing locks. Sarah, however, felt very awkward at this point, like she had been exposed.

"Hello Sarah. I must admit, you do look lovely. I hope you're enjoying your ball?" pried Jareth, who, under the light of the chandeliers, seemed even more sultry than usual.

"Yes…, its wonderful." she replied, shyly.

"Jolly, good! I do enjoy a party, myself. But you know that all to well, don't you?" he joked. "Have you met Helena?" Jareth pulled the girl closer to him and grazed his hand against her hip, almost as if he was trying to make Sarah jealous. If that was the case, oh boy, was it working!

"Hi," smiled Helena, in a very pleasant voice. Her ruby red tresses bounced gleefully against her ample bosom when she spoke, "Jareth's told me all about you!"

"Has he? That's funny, he's never mentioned you!" she probed, trying her best not to make herself sound mean.

"Well, that's because I like to keep her all to myself!" Jareth claimed, tapping Helena's nose, playfully. "I do apologise, Sarah. We're keeping you from your party!"

Jareth and Helena both smiled, synchronically, before leaving the couple to congregate with the other guests. His words had really gotten under Sarah's skin, as she tried hard to fight back the tears.

"Is everything alright?" asked Tom, who placed his arms around her shoulders, to which Sarah nodded and smiled, weakly. "Alright, then! Shall we go and get something to drink?" he requested, clutching her hand and leading her over to the floating buffet table.

The spread was, yet again, divine. Every time a portion of food was taken, it magically replenished itself on the plate. Sarah, though, had not even noticed. Instead she chose to guzzle down a glass of wine, while Tom filled his plate with provisions. As he crammed his face with macaroons, she had only one thing on his mind.

"How long has Jareth known her for?" she queried.

"Helena?" enquired Tom, who wiped the crumbs from his chock-full mouth. It seemed that wasn't as elegant as he had first appeared. "Oh, for as long as I can remember."

"So what are they…dating, or something?"

"Well, I wouldn't say dating. Helena often accompanies Jareth to social, gatherings, local hangings and whatnot. Sort of like his arm-candy. She's more of a long-term friend really. Still, I won't deny that they haven't had amorous relations in the past, but that is between you and me, my dear. The Higher Underground Folk frown upon a King dating a peasant girl. Anyway, why the sudden interest?"

"Oh, no reason. I was purely taking an interest in my guests. I mean, its my ball, isn't it?"

"Why, yes it is! And if any of these guests bring you trouble then you have every right to discharge them. Of course, Helena wouldn't give you any grief, She's a sweetheart, that one!"

Sarah secretly scrunched up her face when he mentioned Helena's name. She didn't know why, but she felt increasingly threatened by her. She went to pour herself another glass of punch, and watched the glory of the ball as she glugged it down. It upset her that she wasn't enjoying herself as much as she had hoped. Maybe it was because she was surrounded by strangers, or maybe there was some other reason. Sarah surveyed Helena. It was true, she _did _have a certain eloquence in her nature, but she had already decided that she didn't like her. The way she laughed when Jareth whispered in her ear, and the way she danced in his arms, caused her teeth to grind ruthlessly against each other. She looked on as they paraded around the room with poise. They were such an attractive couple, and all eyes were on them. It no longer felt like Sarah's ball anymore. No one took and interest in what she and Tom were doing, partly because Tom had retuned to Macaroon Central. Engrossed in her thoughts, she hadn't even notice how close Jareth and Helena had pirouetted towards her. The rest of the dancers moved out of the way allowing them full possession of the dancefloor, but Sarah didn't budge. As Helena sailed past, her elbow inadvertently jolted Sarah's drink, so that it spilt all over her. Sarah gasped, her dress stained with red wine .

"Oh, gosh! I'm so sorry!" shrieked Helena, who seemed genuinely regretful. "Here, let me help you!" she cried, as she stopped dancing and rushed to Sarah's aid.

"No, it's okay I'm fine!" Sarah noticed that almost everyone in the ballroom was now laughing at her, apart from Jareth and Tom, who didn't quite know what to do. She already felt a little tipsy, aware that the wine was swimming around her head and absorbing into her brain.

Helena got hold of a handkerchief and tried to wipe Sarah's dress clean, but to her astonishment, Sarah pushed her away quite brutally, stumbling a little as she did so. It seemed that she was more intoxicated than she realised.

"Hey! I was only trying to help!" she yelled.

"And I said I didn't want you to!" Sarah retorted, blinking rapidly to try and restrain her tears.

"Look, I know you're upset, but you don't need to be so rude! Especially, when this ball was made entirely for you! How can you be so ungrateful?" Helena asked.

Sarah had had enough. Heatedly, she poured what was left of her drink all over Helena's face. Helena gasped, along with the rest of the crowd. Then they began to boo and hiss at her. Jareth and Tom stood silently wide-eyed, in disbelief. Shortly after, Sarah tearfully fled out of the ballroom in mortification.

* * *

><p><em>Author's Little Note: Out of curiosity, are any of you on Twitter? Would be nice to follow some Labyrinth fans. Mine username is katieakakatie if anyone wants to follow me. Will follow back :)<br>_


	8. The Third

Of all the thirty-six alternatives, running away is best. And that was precisely what Sarah did. She ran, faster than her dainty feet could carry her. Tears of frustration scattered behind her, as she sprinted outside the harsh walls of the castle, beyond the Goblin City. The goblins of the Labyrinth all snoozed as she dashed through their town, whimpering loudly as she did so. She didn't know where she was going. She didn't care. Even Baba the Witch would have been a pleasant alternative to the shame she had just endured. As she sprinted through the forest, she briefly pondered returning the old hag's cottage, just to give her something new to agonize over. But, using the only sense she had left, she decided against it, and continued to run in a different direction.

Five minutes later, she fell tired, entering a small bewitched garden, surrounded by all kinds of delicate plant-life, from bluebells to buttercups. A seductive bouquet of night blooming jasmine raced through the air, encircling the tiny garden faeries in a redolent breeze. The sprites frolicked and serenaded each other, flittering from flower to flower, collecting small beads of pollen. Colours of gold and violet danced amongst the trees, reflecting from the dazzling full moon. But nothing was more prominent than the great fountain that stood arrogantly in the centre of it all. The cool stream of water leapt from rock to rock, finally reaching its destiny that was the grand water feature. Peering, into the fountain, Sarah felt her soul tremble into ocean of hopes and fears. The more the water spurted, the more spirited she felt, until finally, the water became still, and so did she. An array of calmness swept over the core of her body, and she felt sober again.

"Its quite picturesque out here, isn't it?" beckoned a man's voice, completely intruding on the first piece of tranquillity Sarah had felt since she'd returned to the Labyrinth.

Spinning herself to face the trespasser, she became disheartened to find the well-meaning, yet bothersome, man in front of her.

"Hello, Tom." she pronounced, half-heartedly.

"I don't mean to impose, but I followed you to make sure you were okay. Look, Helena didn't mean to cause any trouble. It was just an honest mistake. Let's not ruin this evening, shall we? Come back into the ball, and go and talk to her. She'll understand. I know she will!" Tom spoke calmly, keeping his distance as if Sarah were a mental patient who needed restraining.

"Of course she'll understand. Because she's perfect, isn't she? Perfect, beautiful, Helena who can do nothing wrong." she wept.

"You're being very unreasonable, Sarah. Who would have though such a attractive young woman would speak so uncouthly? Jareth warned me about your stubbornness, but I didn't realise you…"

"Oh, he did. Did he?" Sarah interrupted, "…and what else did Jareth tell you?"

"That is beside the point! You behaved like a child tonight, and Jareth was absolutely right. You are stubborn and selfish, and you clearly don't belong in our world. You've already upset half the aristocracy of the Underground, and you've only been here one night. So, just imagine the damage you would cause if…"

"That's quite enough, Tom!" commanded Jareth sharply, who had swiftly appeared out of the blue. He stood beside the fountain with a serious expression, which appeared even more exaggerated by the moonlight. "I would like to talk to Sarah if you wouldn't mind."

Tom nodded reluctantly, and traipsed out of the garden, offended by Jareth's sudden disruption. When they were finally alone, the Goblin King moved closer toward Sarah, who didn't even have the courage to look at him. She knew, in her own mind, that she was being unreasonable, but she was allowed to be wasn't she? The ball was her wish, and it had turned out to be a disaster.

"Sarah, when you asked me for a glorious masquerade ball, you never stated exactly what it was that you wanted. If you had wanted no other beautiful women present, you should have said. If you had wanted the buffet table away from the dance floor so there would be no…accidents, you should have said." Jareth paused for a moment, before lifting her chin up to face him. "And if you had wanted me to be your date, then you should have said."

Sarah's breathing became quick and unsteady.

"Who said I wanted you to be my date?" she whispered, weakly, between sobs.

"Well, _you _didn't. That's for certain. But if you _had _have said it, I can imagine you wouldn't be weeping in the midst of a faery garden at twilight, but instead you would have been enjoying yourself in my fine company. I'm not a fool, Sarah. Why else would you be envious of Helena? She was more than gracious toward you. And why else would you have taken no interest in Tom, the delightful date that I picked out for you?"

She didn't know what else to say. She knew he was right, but she didn't know why she wanted Jareth to be her date. Why would she be so captivated by a man who stole her baby brother from her when she was only a child herself?

She saw that he was looking directly into her eyes, waiting for her to explain herself to him. Her heart throbbed faster than she had ever felt it beat; so fast, she thought it was going to burst into an explosion of broken ashes. For reasons unknown, his mismatched eyes entranced her. They told so many forgotten stories and shattered dreams. There was something forbidden about him that Sarah craved, something tainted that made her yearn for his essence.

Not a word had been put forth for what seemed like a lifetime, until Sarah decided to be bolder than she had ever been before.

"Kiss me, Jareth." she said.

For the first time, Jareth gave the impression of being rather afraid, and he stepped back to take in what he had just heard.

"What?" he asked, coyly, astounded by her forwardness.

"My third wish. I wish that you would kiss me."

Jareth gazed fervently at the girl, like she was a exotic foreigner he had just met. Timidly, she looked into his eyes, unsure whether he was actually going to fulfil her wish, or not. His expression was a mixture of confusion and anxiety, both of which Sarah had never seen before. Then, in a moment of haste, he moved himself closer toward her; closer and closer until their bodies almost touched. Sarah's entire soul pulsated with excitement, as he slowly removed the glove from his left hand, and swept his bare fingers across her face, all the time looking into her eyes. He lowered his head so that it was align with hers, and he parted his lips. For a moment, they took the time to breathe in each others' essence, the first taste of what was about to happen. His lips hovered over hers, slowly creeping in closer and brushing against her mouth. Her soul melted in his touch, as he gently stroked her lips with his, sending a shiver of passion down her spine. She opened her mouth wider, allowing his tongue to caress her youthful flavour. They explored each others' mouths, tasting and teasing each other. Neither of them wanted to stop. As they got more comfortable with one another, the kiss became more passionate. Jareth pushed her back against the leaves, as she gripped her hands around his head, their hearts and bodies throbbing beside each other. Sarah purred in response to his fiery embrace, like she was finally fulfilling her deepest desire. She wanted it to go on forever, but eventually both of them had to stop for air.. For a while they looked at each other, surprised at what they had just done, before Jareth let go of her and self-righteously smiled to himself.

"Well, I hope that fulfilled your wish?" he interjected, grinning like a school boy who had just had his first kiss.

Sarah paused for a moment. She didn't know exactly how to act. Then she looked at him smiling at her. His expression seemed more genuine than it had before, so she smiled back.

"Yes, it did…Thank you" she said, kindly.

"The ball is still proceeding. Would you like to accompany me?" he offered, holding out his hand.

She thought about his proposal, but decided that she'd had enough excitement for one day, and really need some time to absorb it all.

"No, I've had enough. I think I'll just get some sleep now, if that's okay?"

"Very well. I will escort you to your room."

Once more, Jareth produced a single crystal, and hurled it to the floor. This time, instead of conjuring up a set of stairs, a large silvery cloud introduced itself, hovering just slightly above the ground. Looking at Jareth, Sarah was unsure why he seemed to be signalling for her to step on the misty blanket. It did not look safe. Tutting, he lightly pushed her forward, and once they were both in position, the cloud elevated into the air. In a flash, they sped through the electric heavens, soaring and tumbling through the diamond sky. Below, they watched the entire Labyrinth pass by them, marvelling at the cosmic stretch of meandering walls, evergreen forests and lush waterways. Sarah felt like a shooting star, intoxicated from head to toe.

"I feel as free as a bird!" she cried.

"Free as a bird, you say?" retorted Jareth, with a glint in his eye. Without warning, he stepped to the edge of the cloud and looked back at Sarah. "Do not try this at home." he advertised, and seconds later he leapt from the bank and descended to the ground. Sarah filled with panic. Had the Goblin King just committed suicide, right there, in front of her?

All of a sudden, a piercing shriek invaded the air, followed by a hoot. A snowy white owl swooped, and spiralled around the cloud. It was Jareth! Sarah breathed a sigh of relief, and giggled as she observed the Goblin King soaring alongside her. As a bird, he was just as graceful and beautiful as he was as a man.

The rush made her feel things she couldn't even describe. To be gliding through the atmosphere like a firework, had been a wish she could never have imagined. She was so overwhelmed that she sighed with admiration, and when Jareth converted to his human state and rejoined her, she buried her head into his smooth, warm chest. Pleased, he held her tightly, as the cloud approached the castle window. Carefully, Sarah stepped off the fluffy white pillow and entered her room. Jareth remained on the cloud.

"Thank you for a wonderful journey. It really was amazing!" she exclaimed, to which Jareth just smiled. "Well, goodnight, then."

"Goodnight? Oh, and I here I was hoping you would invite me in!" he mocked, with a hint of sarcasm.

"Don't push it!" she grinned, about to close the curtains.

"Wait…" Jareth reached for something in his sleeve. He drew out a crystal, which magically transformed into a child's teddy bear; Lancelot!

Sarah gaped at the bear, awkwardly.

"Come, Sarah. I know how you have trouble sleeping without this thing."

She knew he was right, so clumsily, she snatched the bear off him.

"Thanks." She chuckled, nervously, admiring the shabby soft toy. "My mother had bought this bear for me as a baby. Apart from a few photos, this bear and my locket are the only things left of her."

"Yes…Well, I should be going now. Sleep well." He urged, before flying away, swiftly, as I f something she said had disturbed him.

Shrugging, she retreated into her bedroom. Within minutes, she had fallen into a deep, wistful slumber.


	9. The Friend

Daybreak had come. Sarah's eyes flickered, as the sun warmly twinkled through the drapes. The chirps of morning birds echoed from every corner of the room. She clutched Lancelot tightly, who had consoled her during the night. In the blurry vision of awakening, she could faintly make out a large poster of an Escher room, and quaint little ornaments of fairies and goblins. Opposite her, she saw a dressing table and mirror which reflected the confusion in her face. Slowly, she rose from her bed and gazed around in perplexity, until she understood where she was. She couldn't believe it. She was back in her bedroom. Her own bedroom!

"Oh no!" she yelled, realising that it was already half past ten. The wish had worn off. She had only asked to be in the Labyrinth just for one day, and that was yesterday morning! If only she had gotten up earlier. She didn't even get to make her final wish!

Sarah flopped back onto her bed and screamed into her pillow.

"You idiot!" she shouted, supposedly at Jareth since _he _was the one who had stalled her previous wishes and _he _was the one who had failed to wake her early enough. She had soaked her pillow with tears, before a knock on her door made her jump.

"Sarah, are you there?" called her stepmother.

Grudgingly, Sarah trudged up to the door and unfastened it to see Karen's old familiar prudish expression, still plagued with concern. Only this time, she also seemed tired and angry.

"Thank goodness, you're here! Where were you yesterday? I came up to your room to ask you if you wanted any lunch, and you were gone! You never told me you were going out. I waited up past midnight but you still didn't come home. What the Hell is going on Sarah?" She sounded mad. Sarah could tell this because Karen hardly ever used profanities.

"Look, I'm sorry, okay! I went out yesterday because I needed to get my head round things. The loss of my mother had affected me more than I thought, so I just snuck out and spent the day with Lysander. I came home at two in the morning. Again, I'm sorry, I should have called or something." Sarah was a good liar. That was one thing she had developed from her youthful days of playing make-believe. This time, however, Karen wasn't buying it.

"Oh, I may be a lot of things but I am not stupid. Don't you think that I would have called Lysander to check where you were? I've just been on the phone to him for half an hour, trying to understand what is going on inside that head of yours. Don't lie to me Sarah. Tell me the truth!"

She wanted the truth? Fine.

"I rescued Toby from a Labyrinth back when he was a baby. I found out that because I overpowered the Goblin King, I could wish myself back there, so I did! Then I got given four wishes, I nearly got eaten alive by a crazy goblin witch, I went to a masquerade ball which turned out to be a disaster, I kissed Jareth, then floated on a cloud back into my bedroom, but when I woke up I was here. And now I'm talking to you!"

Karen's jaw dropped. Not because she believed all the things that Sarah had just said, but because she believed that her stepdaughter had finally cracked. She took a few deep breaths and proceeded to speak calmly.

"Sarah, I really don't want you to take this the wrong way, but I think you should speak with a professional. Clearly, you're finding it hard to grieve for your late mother. But these lies you're telling…it's not…well, it's not healthy!"

"I'm NOT crazy, Karen!" she yelled, becoming exasperated with all the interrogation. "Besides, why should I tell you the truth? I'm twenty years old for God's sakes! I should be aloud to go where I please, without you sticking your nose in!" She couldn't believe the words that were flying out of her own mouth. She hadn't acted like this since she was a teenager. Karen, who was just as shocked as she was, lowered her head in distress. Noticing this, Sarah suddenly felt very ashamed. "I'm sorry…I shouldn't have shouted like that."

"It's okay." Karen appealed after a long pause. "I know this is a hard time for you. Maybe I was wrong to say you need professional help. But what you need now is to be around people who care about you, not to lock yourself away! I know I'm probably not the best one to talk to, so Lysander said that as soon as you're home, he wants to meet you in the park." Karen put her hand on Sarah's shoulder. "Will you go and see him?"

"Okay." Sarah agreed softly. She had almost forgotten about her trusted friend. Lysander was the one person in the human world who she felt glad to be in the company of, and now that she was no longer in the Labyrinth she needed to see someone who could make her feel better about the dreary world she had returned to.

"I'll give him a call." replied Karen, relieved that they had reached an understanding.

Ten minutes later, Sarah had gotten dressed into a new pair of jeans and a green vest-top, and headed off to the local park to meet with Lysander. When she arrived, she noticed that he was sat alone on a secluded park bench. His blonde hair shimmered in the sunlight, and when he saw Sarah, his powder blue eyes lit up and his white teeth beamed her a gracious smile. Grinning shyly, she placed herself next to him on the bench, as he gave her a warm hug. Then, he looked at her gravely, and sighed.

"Sarah, where have you been?" he asked, calmly.

Even though he spoke with a worried tone, she felt comforted by the familiar sound of his voice. She felt a sort of safeness in his presence, like she could trust him with anything. Well, almost anything. She knew bringing up the Labyrinth probably wasn't the best idea now, what with Karen already thinking she had gone insane.

"Look, I'm sorry for worrying you. I didn't even realise! Karen's just been overreacting. I'm fine, really! I just wanted to be alone yesterday."

"I can understand that. Grief is a personal thing. It can't be easy to constantly be around people who don't really understand what you're going through, especially with your dad being away."

"Yes, it hasn't been easy. But being with you today has already put me in a brighter mood!" she beamed.

"Really?" he enquired, seeming unusually surprised.

"Of course, silly! You're my best friend!" Sarah nudged him, playfully.

"Yes, I am." he murmured, bowing his head as he did so, almost as if something was troubling him; something that Sarah wasn't quite picking up on. "So, where did you go yesterday?" he asked, inquisitively.

"You know just out…around…., I went to a few places."

"Anywhere nice?" he quizzed.

"Not really. I just took a long walk, then I went for a bite to eat at Rosie's Diner, nothing special." She lied, becoming secretly frustrated with all the questions. He was starting to sound like Karen. But she couldn't yell at Lysander. After all, he was only looking out for her.

"It must have been pretty lonely. You should have asked me to go with you."

"Well I would have done, but you see, I…I was with someone." She admitted, knowing that it would make him feel better to know she had not been alone.

"Oh, anyone I know?" he asked cheerily. His delight concerned her. She wasn't sure, but it seemed rather fake.

"No, it was just an old friend." Sarah tugged at her shirt, and then turned her attention to the sky, trying to change the subject. "The sun is beautiful this afternoon!"

"Really? You've never mentioned any of your old friends before" he said, puzzled, completely ignoring her attempts to deter the conversation.

"Yeah. Well, I've only just came into to contact with him."

"Ah, so we know it's a 'him'!" Lysander nudged Sarah, and winked, provocatively. "Have you got yourself a new secret boyfriend?" he teased. "Who is he? Come on, spill!"

"No, no, its nothing like that! I hardly know him really…Come on, let's go for a walk in the sunshine." Sarah stood up, and began to saunter down the pathway, hoping that Lysander would stop snooping around and follow her. But he didn't. She spun back round and shot him an aggravated glare. She didn't like the way he was looking at her, all solemn and uneasy. She had never seen this side of her usual jovial companion.

"Well, who was he then?" he asked once more.

"Just someone, okay! Stop asking questions, San! You're being weird!" she yelled, unwillingly. She had never shouted at him before, but that was because he never gave her a reason to.

There was a slight pause for a few seconds. She wondered why he hadn't replied to her. Was it because she yelled? She couldn't bear it if she had hurt his feelings. Looking into his eyes, which had turned to a sombre grey colour, she could see he was deep in thought. She knew he was about to ask her another question, but nothing prepared her for the next words that came tumbling from his mouth; words that made Sarah's heart jump out of it's comfort zone, and into a chilling place.

"Was it Jareth?" he asked.

Sarah's hands dropped by her side. Her entire body turned to Jell-O. Did she hear him right? Did he say 'Jareth'? How did he know about Jareth?


	10. The Truth

"W…what did you say?" she asked shakily, gawping at the friend that she thought she knew. His cold and cloudy eyes furnished his entire face with a grave expression, something that Sarah was unacquainted with.

Lysander seemed as nervous as she did, yanking on his cream sweater and shuffling his old brown shoes. He paused, before taking a deep breath to speak again.

"I said, was it Jareth you was with yesterday?"

Sarah was panicky. All the tell-tale signs were there! Her heart pounded, she breathed heavily, sweat seeped from her forehead and her hands were trembling. She had always felt so comfortable with Lysander but at that moment he felt like a stranger. The most frightening stranger she had ever met.

"How do you know about Jareth?" she queried, with a whisper. It sounded strange to speak the name of the Goblin King in the real world, particularly in front of someone she knew. He did not answer, just guiltily bowed his head. "I said how do you know about Jareth!" Sarah marched back up to the bench and towered over Lysander, letting him shrivel up in her shadow. Then, he gazed up into her intense green eyes.

"Sit down, Sarah." he instructed, his tone being soft and feeble.

She anxiously sat back on the chair beside him, but this time she leaned away from the unfamiliar friend. He took a long sigh before speaking.

"I don't know how I'm going to tell you this, so I'm just gonna say it like it is…Okay, I used to live in the Labyrinth. I used to be one of them, an immortal. Five years ago, I was assigned by Jareth to watch over you, because you had been to the Underground and survived it. This meant that you had gained special powers within you. These powers would allow you to make wishes, as I assume you discovered yesterday. The magic within you made you vulnerable to the Labyrinth's threats and dangers. That's why I became mortal, and came to live in your world; to look after you and to befriend you, so that no one from the Underground could come and harm you."

Sarah's wide-eyed gaze illustrated how dumbfounded she was. She felt like a naïve little girl again, unaware of everything that was going around her, like everything she ever knew and trusted was a lie.

"Okay, now you can ask questions." continued Lysander. Still Sarah did not speak, she just stared in astonishment. "Sarah please stop staring at me like that" he begged, attempting to repress the tears that tiptoed along his lower lids.

She had never seen him cry before, but at this moment she felt no sympathy for him. He had been deceiving her from the day they met. It was all so obvious now she thought about it. Lysander wasn't exactly like other boys his age. He was too nice, too perfect! Even his appearance was somewhat inhuman, with his radiant eyes, platinum locks and elfish ears. But most of all, it was the way he never seemed to get sad, not until now anyway. But it didn't matter now. For the past five years she had trusted him, relied on him and loved him. And all that time he was only there under Jareth's authority. It was all a great big lie.

Abruptly, she raised her hand and slapped him right across the face.

"You jerk!" she shouted.

"I know. I deserved that!" he confessed, rubbing his scarlet cheek, not even startled that she had hit him.

She slapped him again.

"And that…." he said, dryly. "Look, Sarah I know you feel betrayed.. All I ever wanted was for you to be safe. You're my best friend in the whole entire universe! That part was never a lie! Trust me."

"Why should I trust you? You obviously didn't trust me enough to tell me the truth, for five whole years!" she cried, recollecting the day she had first met Lysander.

Sarah didn't have any close friends during her teenage years, and truthfully, she didn't care. But when Lysander first joined her class and gazed at her with those welcoming blue eyes, she knew there was something she liked about him. He seemed shy, just like her. And together they formed a bond like no other two pupils at school. She never felt lonely again, not for one day, until her mother died.

"I wanted to tell you, honest! But, after you'd rescued your brother, I thought you didn't want anything to do with the Labyrinth. You never talked about it, or even hinted at anything otherworldly, so I assumed you'd put it far out of your mind. If you'd have brought it up, then maybe I would have said something, but you never did! It was only after you went there yesterday that I realised you needed to know the truth. Now the Threats are going to be after you, and its all my fault. I should have known your mother's death would have triggered your need for escape. I should have told you before you wished yourself away! Then maybe I could have stopped you!" Lysander clenched his fists in anger at himself.

"What are you talking about? What Threats! There has never been any threats!" stated Sarah, trying to resist the urge to slap him a third time.

"There were, but I stopped them all. That was my job. To protect you."

"How could you have protected me? You're not exactly Hercules, now are you?" she scoffed, leering at his scrawny frame.

"Sarah, I have more strength in my little finger than the heaviest gladiator that ever existed on this Earth. Don't you remember when you was fifteen, and that teacher, Mr. Henson, was found dead in the classroom?"

Sarah scanned through her memories, until it clicked.

"Yes, he had a heart-attack. So what?" she replied, naively.

"Wrong. I killed him," he admitted, almost innocently, to which she glowered in disgust. "But don't worry, he wasn't human. He was a monster dressed in disguise! And he wasn't really killed. He was just cast out of his human form." He could tell he wasn't helping, as Sarah's lower jaw descended even further.

"You can't be serious! Lysander, why are you doing this to me?" she wept, placing her head in her hands.

"I know. I'm sorry" he insisted, gently placing his arm around her, only for her to shrug it off. "You don't realise how much this is hurting me to tell you all of this, especially at such a fragile time in your life." He allowed the tears to now pour down his face, like a cloud of grey that had built up inside of him all this years had finally burst into a flood of emotions.

"It's hurting _you_!" she shouted, turning her head towards him. "How do you think _I_ feel? Some stranger dressed up as my best friend is telling me that a bunch of monsters are after me!"

"I still _am _your friend Sarah, and there _are _things after you. Not just monsters, but all sorts of creatures. Mr. Henson was one of the bad ones. I couldn't tell you who he really was because I know you would've panicked. They feed off of panic."

"You're wrong! Mr. Henson never had anything against me. In fact, he was always pleased with my work! In all the time I forgot my homework, he only gave me detention once!"

"Yes, and don't you remember! That detention was on the day he died. Many other students forgot their homework, but it was only _you_ he gave the detention to, wasn't it? That's why I stopped him a few hours before you were supposed to go to him."

Sarah gaped.

"I can't believe you're saying you killed Mr. Henson!" she shrieked, with fear in her voice.

"Look, I didn't _really_ kill him! I just sent the monster inside of him back to the Underground so he could be imprisoned there. Sarah, if I hadn't have stopped him, then that detention with Mr. Henson would have been the last thing you ever did."

She looked at his face. He did look like he was genuinely telling the truth. But how could Sarah know what the truth was anymore.

"So Mr. Henson would have tried to kill me?" she questioned.

"I'm afraid so, and there's been plenty more threats in your life and I've had to stop everyone of them. But believe me when I say that even though your well-being was my job, I really came to like you, and I didn't just save your life because I had to, it was because I really cared about you."

She wasn't sure whether she believed him. All she wanted to do was run off and take a break from this emotional overload, but she knew that there was so many questions she needed answering.

"But why would anyone want to harm me? All I did was rescue my brother and come back home."

"You are one of the only people who has ever defeated one of the Underground's most powerful beings; the Goblin King. Those wishes that you were granted are just a taste of the power you could possess if you wanted. If you wanted Sarah, you could rule the entire Labyrinth. The creatures of the Underground would not be happy if a mortal was to rule their world." said Lysander.

"But can't you just tell them that I didn't want to rule their world?" she sighed.

"If only it was that simple. You see, the creatures of the Underground are very suspicious beings. They don't trust anyone, and have very calculative minds. And now they know that you have been to their world again, they think you're trying to invade them. So I'm afraid my job will be more demanding than ever."

"Yeah, well I don't want you to protect me! I just want to be left alone!"

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that Sarah. I care about you to much to let anything happen to you."

Sarah took a long hard look at her friend. Part of her hated him for lying, but the other part of her, the part that was buried somewhere deep down inside her heart, was beginning to feel somewhat grateful for his loyalty and friendship over the years. No matter what, the good times he gave her had been tattooed onto her soul.

"So, Jareth sent you to protect me?" she asked, trying to get her head around the situation.

"He did. Jareth may seem all cold and careless, but deep down he is a good man. He helped me when I was down on my luck. Believe it or not, he saved me in every possible way, and then he brought me to you and your beautiful world. I can't thank him enough for that."

Lysander thought back to when he had first been designated the great task. He was just a poor servant boy, working for a royal family, led by King Silvercold of Warclock, a plump, ostentatious ruler in a faraway Underground settlement. The family treated him rather badly, making him do awful chores, such as capturing innocent faeries for young Prince Silvercold, and hunting and shooting goblins, just for the amusement of the King. Jareth initially went over there to punish Lysander for his wicked ways against his goblins. He abducted him and locked him away in the Oubliette for weeks without food or company. When he finally went to check on him, Lysander pleaded for forgiveness and explained that he had no choice, because the Silvercolds would have killed him if he didn't oblige to their terrible commands. Jareth was never usually the merciful type, but something in Lysander's unsullied blue eyes convinced him to give the boy a second chance. He told him that he needed someone to watch over a human girl, and make sure that no harm ever came to her. Lysander accepted the deal, and in return he was given his freedom, and was released from his immortal chains.

"Sarah, what did you wish for yesterday" grilled Lysander.

"Why is that important?"

"I just need to know that you didn't wish for anything that would compromise your position even more. As I said, the Underground folk are very suspicious. Anything you asked for could have been taken to believe that you were trying to gain control over the immortals."

"Well, it wasn't like that. I just wished for a masquerade ball. Would that be seen as a threat?"

"No, I don't think so. As long as it took place within the Labyrinth no harm could have come to you. I know Jareth would have made sure that all the guests were his trusted friends. Anything else?" he snooped. All of a sudden Sarah's eyes widened with panic , as she recalled one of the events that took place yesterday. "What? What is it?" demanded Lysander.

"Baba! Baba the goblin! I went to her house yesterday and she…she was trying to eat me! She must have been a threat?" she exclaimed.

"Baba, from the forest?" Lysander giggled. "No, she's just a harmless goblin. She doesn't like strangers, that's all. Goblins would never seriously harm you. They just play pranks and rough you up a bit. I should know. That's one of reasons I was all too happy to leave the Labyrinth. Those pesky creatures!" he scoffed, thinking to back when he had been a prisoner in the Oubliette, and the goblins would throw rotten fish at him from the cracks above the prison, before Jareth finally came to grant him his freedom.

"I'm telling you, Lysander! She tried to kill me. She hypnotised me with her glowing eyes, and grew to seven feet tall! I was paralysed!"

"Wait. Are you being serious?" he asked, with genuine fear in his voice. "She used actual powers on you? Oh, my! This is bad! This is really bad!"

"What does this mean?" Sarah mirrored his terror, her heart hammering violently against her chest.

"I knew it was easy for the Threats to get through to the mortal world, but the Labyrinth is one of the most difficult kingdoms to break into. Someone must have bewitched Baba and tricked her into trying to kill you! Tell me, Sarah. How did you get away?"

"Jareth came to save me, because I wished for him to. Although, I don't think he understood that she was an actual threat. When he entered the room, she returned back to her original goblin form. I didn't realise…I didn't…"

"Don't worry, Sarah. Its my fault. If I'd have warned you sooner, you would have been more alert to the dangers around you. I'll alert Jareth about this tonight, and he'll make sure the Labyrinth is searched thoroughly for any unknown beings. The good thing is that you have spent your four wishes, and have returned back to the mortal world. This might help the Threats to understand that you're not a danger to them."

"Actually, I didn't get to make my last wish." she admitted uneasily. "…and that was a wish I really wanted to make." Sarah began to weep again. Quickly, she stood up and walked over to a large rosebush where she turned her back to Lysander so he wouldn't see her looking upset for the millionth time.

Seeing her vulnerability, he followed her and stood beside her at the rosebush. There was a few minutes of peace and silence between them, which seemed peculiar amongst all the chaos that had previously erupted. He watched her for a while with sorrowful eyes. Then he gently touched a single rose with his hands.

"Look at this rose. The beauty of it is so enchanting" he mused, stroking the petals. Then he slowly moved his hand down until he pricked his finger. He flinched. "But the thorns can wound. Just be careful Sarah. Don't ever get fooled by the beauty of the rose."

"What are you talking about?" she enquired.

"I just want you to be careful." he advised. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"I don't need you to worry about me anymore, Lysander." she urged. Then she made a strong point of walking away, leaving him alone in the park, abandoned with his continued fear for her safety, and now a lingering guilt for betraying her all those years. But no matter how remorseful he felt, he was not going to stop defending her. Not for one minute.


	11. The Curse

The door to Sarah's abode flung open aggressively and she irritably stampeded through the hallway, groaning loudly. Immediately, Karen sprung from the living room and rushed over to her, as if she'd been waiting for her all afternoon. She cocked her head to one side, like a confused sparrow, watching her stepdaughters every move.

"Sarah, what's wrong? Did you and Lysander have a fight?" Karen placed her hands over Sarah's teary cheeks, as the girl snivelled, nodding as her eyes welled up with sorrow.

"Oh dear. I'm sure it was nothing. You'll sort it out. You always do!" Karen could feel Sarah trembling before her, and for the first time she draped her arms around her and offered her a cordial hug. This both shocked and comforted Sarah. She had never known Karen to act so motherly. Even with Toby, she chose to be the firm kind of parent. Nonetheless, Sarah allowed the hug to continue, and in a strange way she felt a deep amount of solace in her stepmother's arms.

"I've been acting so unreasonable, haven't I?" Sarah admitted.

"It's not your fault, Dear. Its not been easy for you, especially with your father being away at such a time as this. What you need is something to take your mind off things...So, here's a thought. Why don't you come with me to my work party tonight? Its my colleague Kathy's birthday?"

"Oh, I don't know. I'm not really in the mood to go to a party. Plus, I won't know anybody."

"Of course you will. You know Kathy's daughters, Mary and Susan. And you'll be with me. It'll be just the thing to bring your confidence back up. How about it?"

The last thing Sarah wanted was to be surrounded by a horde of human faces. But if these so-called Threats really were after her, she'd feel safer if she were around others. It would also help to get Karen off of her back if she could see her being sociable and "normal" for one night.

"Well what about Toby?" she asked.

"I'll arrange for a baby-sitter." answered Karen, who had already picked up the phone ready to dial the numbers.

"Okay, I'll come." Sarah agreed, unenthusiastically, but secretly pleased that Karen felt the need to mother her so badly.

"Wonderful! Now go and get yourself ready. The taxi will be here at seven."

Sarah went up to her room and replaced her sweater and jeans with a stylish black dress. She brushed her hair so that it hung loosely over her shoulders, and applied a light coating of make-up. Finally, she completed the outfit with some large gold hooped earrings. Of course she didn't look as glamorous as she did at the Labyrinth's ball, but by human standards she still looked incredibly attractive. She stared tiredly at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were flooding with emotions; sadness, lust, anger, betrayal. She couldn't believe how much had happened to her in the past two weeks.

"Taxi's here!" yelled her stepmother from downstairs.

"Coming!" she responded, taking one last longing look in the mirror.

* * *

><p>Admittedly, Sarah did feel a little better at the party. She willingly congregated with her stepmothers friends, who complimented her on her timeless glamour and well-bred manners. They made her feel good about herself, and for a while she forgot about her mother, Lysander and Jareth - at least for a little while. She drank champagne all night, and even danced for a while. Karen looked on, happy that Sarah was enjoying herself for the first time in weeks.<p>

"I'm just going to the ladies room." Sarah commented to her friend Susan after the song had finished.

She swaggered out of the main hall and down a small corridor where she finally found the ladies bathroom. She walked in closing the door behind her. Whilst in the cubicle, she began humming to herself, a familiar melody which had always haunted and soothed her at the same time. As she continued to hum, she failed to notice that she was no longer alone. Someone else had entered the bathroom. Casually, she finished up, left the cubicle and headed over to the sink to wash her hands. Sarah gasped, frightened by the sudden intrusion of a stranger. A middle-aged curly brown haired woman, who was innocently fixing her make-up in the mirror, had startled her.

"Sorry. Did I scare you?" the woman asked, smiling politely.

"No, its fine. I just didn't realise anybody else was in here." she replied, feeling a little embarrassed that she had practically been singing with a stranger close by.

"Don't worry yourself, Honey. We've all had a little too much champagne." She smiled, before gazing at Sarah in a peculiar way, as if she had just become conscious of who she was talking you. "Are you Sarah Williams?" she asked.

"Yes I am. Do I know you?" Sarah asked, re-applying her lipstick in the bathroom mirror.

"I'm Tania. I know your stepmother, Karen. She was telling me that you used to do a bit of acting?" Tania placed her hands on her upper body and plumped up her breasts. Sarah didn't like to pass judgement, but the phrase mutton dressed as lamb scrolled across her mind.

"Well, I had a few classes when was little. It was nothing really." Sarah frowned at the thought of Karen discussing her with everyone like she was her own daughter.

"Oh, you see I was just wondering, because I have an audition, and I wanted somebody's opinion on the monologue that I prepared. But I understand if its too much trouble." Tania tossed her hair away from her face and pouted, as if she was some kind of supermodel. She didn't look like an actress. Sarah assumed she was trying to make up for her wasted youth, which was probably spent drinking, smoking and sleeping with every man who called her 'pretty'.

"Oh no, it's no trouble. I won't be able to give you expert advice or anything but I'll have a listen. Let's hear it!"

Tania smiled, thankfully, took a deep breath after clearing her throat. Sarah tried her best to not sneer at how ridiculous she looked.

"A curse to you is what I bestow, to salvage the lives of the ones I know, you; the girl whom we all fear, a maiden so fair should ne'er interfere, I give thou the gift of the tainted hand, since power and peril, you seem to withstand, for gold shalt not spring from your sacred touch, but danger will come to those you love much."

As she spoke these ,words she threw her hands about and shouted the like she was one of the witches from Macbeth. Even Sarah had to admit that she was not good. Still, she tried her best not to laugh at the woman, who seemed absurdly happy with herself.

"That was…that was really…something." Sarah scanned her brain for the right words, but there were no words. Tania was clearly not an actress, and Sarah knew she never would be.

At that moment, Lysander burst through he door, appearing nervous and exhausted. He was dressed in all black, which greatly contrasted to the pastel clothing he usually wore. His blond curls were now tinged with dirt and slick against his forehead.

"Sarah!" he shouted, with dread in his tone. His face was red and grubby.

"Lysander, what are you doing in a girls bathroom?" she yelled, jumping back in surprise.

"This is urgent, Sarah!" he bellowed, then paused to look at Tania, who for some strange reason found the entire situation amusing. "Who is she?" he questioned.

"She just a guest at the party. Her name is erm…erm…"

"Tania!" the woman interrupted, still grinning.

"Yeah, that's right! Tania." repeated Sarah.

"You mean you don't know her?" Lysander asked.

"No, we've just met, she was just showing me her monologue because she's auditioning for…"

"Oh no! You've already listened to her!" interrupted Lysander, who glowered at Tania menacingly. "What did you say to her?" he shouted.

"San, leave her alone! What's the matter with you?" cried Sarah. "I'm so sorry about him. He's been a little stressed lately." she said, turning to Tania.

"Oh, it's fine" Tania claimed, suddenly appearing rather nervous.

"No, it's NOT fine!" he roared, which stunned Sarah, for she had never known him to be so irate. He stormed close to Tania and scowled, eyeing her up and down with with a furious intent. "She's evil!" he growled.

"Oh, I'm not listening to this. You have gone crazy! Let's go, Tania!" Sarah marched towards the bathroom door in protest. For the first time in ages, she had enjoyed a nice normal night and now it had been ruined by her meddlesome "friend".

"Sarah, wait I need to tell you something!" called Lysander, who tried to dash after her. However, as he reached for the door an immense force jerked him back. That was when he realised that Tania had grabbed hold of him.

"You're not going to tell her anything!" she instructed evilly, with her vicious glowing red eyes leering into his. Then, without haste, she raised her hand and punched his face. The force of her fist was so strong that he flew across the bathroom, leaving him unconscious on the floor. Her killer heels kicked him cruelly, before she carelessly paraded out of the door. She watched as Sarah fled down the corridor and muttered a few callous words to herself. "My work is done, Master." she said, with a haunting smile fixated on her face.


	12. The Chaos

An ordinary night. That was all she wanted. One single evening where she could forget about all the turmoil and strife that had sought after her for an eternity of a week. Why did Lysander have to turn up an spoil the illusion of normality? Even if he was telling the truth, why did it have to be tonight?

Sarah marched back into the main hall. Inside she was heated with emotion, but she was determined to keep the same array of calmness she had displayed all night. Flinging back her chocolate tresses, she scanned the room for a familiar face. She noticed Karen, who appeared to be deep conversation with a fellow colleague. Her expression was that of a concern, which made Sarah paranoid that she had been discussing her well-being with everyone at the party. This would not bode well for her. It was vital that she proved her sanity tonight.

"Drink, Miss?" offered a bartender, who held a tray of champagne-filled glasses before her.

Sarah smiled, and took a goblet from the tray, only to find that the glass shattered in her palm, and the liquid spilled all over the floor.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" she voiced.

"Not to worry, Miss," said the bartender who removed the broken glass from her hand. "Have another one."

Sarah went to take another glass, but as she did she nudged it by mistake, which subsequently knocked all the other glasses over. Champagne was suddenly flooding the bartenders tray, which caused him to lose control and drop it. Everyone turned their heads around as the tray and the glasses crashed to the wooden floor. Karen watched as Sarah jumped back and tried to shake off the alcohol that had drenched her dress. Noticing that most of the room was now looking at her, all she could manage was a shy little giggle to salvage her dignity. She tried to help the bartender pick up the broken pieces, but ended up cutting one of her fingers on a sharp edge of glass. Seeing this, he dismissed her.

"Sorry again" she muttered, before scuttling away in embarrassment, sucking the blood form her pinkie.

"What was all that about, Sarah? Are you alright?" queried Karen, who halted her in her tracks before she tried to sneak past.

"Oh nothing, I was just being a little clumsy."

"Your bleeding!" she cried, noticing her wounded finger.

"It's just a scratch." Sarah pulled a tissue from her pocket and wiped off the remaining blood. "See? All better!" she smiled, making a clear point not to let a few broken glasses or Lysander's outburst spoil her night.

"Typical you!" Karen laughed. "Say, have you met Jonathon yet? He's been dying to dance with you all night." She waved to a comely dark-haired man who stood over by the dance floor, ogling Sarah intensely through the obscurity of his sunglasses. Removing, his shades he gave her a cheeky wink, which involuntarily caused her to blush and smirk. He took this as a signal to approach her, but Sarah already knew that she had absolutely no interest in the gaudy charmer. As he strutted straight up to her and flashed his perfect white teeth, she grimaced, knowing that any guy who chose to wear sunspecs inside a building, along with cubic zirconia earrings in both ears, was not the right man for her.

"Hey there, beautiful!" Jonathan charmed, and if she hadn't already made up her mind about him, they way he leered at her chest as he called her 'beautiful' confirmed her distaste. "So, I was watching you move earlier and I thought to myself, I'd be a fool if I didn't ask you to dance by the end of the night" he said arrogantly, taking hold of Sarah's arm and practically hauling her over to the dance floor. Karen watched with delight, oblivious to Sarah's aversion.

"Look, it's not that I'm not flattered, but I don't really feel like dancing anymore" demanded Sarah, as she tried to yank herself away from his grip.

"Aw come on, don't be cold!" he insisted, seizing her hands and urging her to sway to the rhythm of the music. She tried to pull away once more, but this only spurred him to lower his hands down to her slender waist. "What's the matter, baby? Don't be shy?"

"Get off me!" Sarah pushed him, finally disentangling herself from his clutch, and began to tread backwards.

"Don't make a scene, babe!" Jonathan yelled, stepped after her. "Watch out!" he cried.

But it was too late. Sarah had staggered directly into another young woman.

"Hey, watch it!" the girl shouted, flicking her ginger locks behind her head in a self-important motion. Weirdly, she reminded Sarah of Helena, in the looks department at least. The way she acted was much much worse, sneering at Sarah from head to toe like she was a cockroach that had just stumbled into her own home. Sarah couldn't even be bothered pay heed to the situation. She'd had enough run ins with strangers at parties to last her a lifetime. The girl wanted an dispute and she wasn't going to give her one. Snubbing the girl, Sarah turned her back.

"Don't walk away from me, freak!" the girl whined, grabbing Sarah's arm and wrenching her back.

Sarah calmly tried to leave, but the girl pulled her back by the hair, which caused her to squeal in pain. In a frenzy, she, in return, tugged on the girls mane and an undignified catfight commenced. As they scrambled around the dance floor the other guests began to jeer and cheer. Karen, and the more mature guests, were yelling for them to stop, while others chanted the words 'fight, fight, fight!' over and over. They slapped and kicked each other whilst screaming and shouting out profanities. Mothers had to keep their children away or cover their ears. As the fight became more intense, the two young women began to circle the room, edging closer and closer the large birthday cake, which read 'Happy 40th Kathy' and stood on a table at the back of the room. During the fight, Sarah stumbled over a loose cable on the floor and fell flat onto the cake. The entire room gasped, as the other girl jumped away from her with a satisfied grin. The music stopped and Sarah dejectedly pulled herself from the icing and gazed back at everyone, including Karen who burrowed her head in shame.

"My cake!" a woman wailed, supposedly Kathy. "You've ruined it you stupid, STUPID girl!" Kathy then glared at Karen as if to say 'why did you bring her?'. What's more, Sarah heard other guests whispering utterances such as 'she's usually such a quiet girl;, and 'her mother died last week, it has obviously traumatized her'.

"I'm sorry...I...I'm really sorry," Sarah wept, before sprinting out of the main hall and outside into the chilling night. This situation getting was all too familiar for her. It seemed that the mortal world was causing her as much chaos as the Labyrinth had. As she ran, she hoped that the ground would open up for her and drag down into another world, an Oubliette even. She had never felt so humiliated. It wasn't like her to start fights with strangers and be so clumsy with glasses. What could she have done to deserve such a heavy cloud of rain over her head? And what's more, her stepmother had seen it all. She'd never been seen as a mature adult again!

She had no idea where she was racing to, but she just had to get as far away from anything she knew as possible. She knew that this time there was going to be no enchanted garden, no Jareth and no floating cloud to take her away from the night's chaos, but she just had to find somewhere that would help her forget about the terrible mess she had become. The trouble was, she could hardly see a thing. The sky was pitch black, and if Lysander had been right about the otherworldly Threats then the shadows of the night were the worst place to be alone in.

But Sarah was not alone. From nowhere, she could here someone following her, their rapid footsteps pelting on the ground behind her. Whoever it was seemed to be running as fast as she was, maybe even faster, As much as she tried to scurry, her legs were tired and frail, and her intake of oxygen had already been used up. She knew that whoever was chasing her was going to catch up with her. She knew that this could be her fate.

"Leave me alone!" she screeched, in a last attempt to salvage her inevitable doom, but the hands had already seized her body. She screamed as she was hauled back by the chaser. Frantically, she tried to struggle from the tightly-gripped hands that had grasped her. "Lysander, help me!" she cried, in desperate hope that he would come running to save her.

"Sarah!" the catcher called, who was now identified as being male. She thrashed her arms and legs about to try and escape. "Sarah, stop it! It's me!" he said, shaking her to calm her down.

After a few more struggles, she subsided and turned to face the chaser.

"Lysander?"

It was him all along.

Admittedly, Sarah was vastly relieved to see the blue-eyed boy before her, and it was only now she understood how much she relied on him to protect her and keep her sane in the mortal world.

"Yes, its me." he replied. "Don't worry. Everything is going to be alright now." Lysander placed his arms around her back, and she fell into his hold, leaning her head against his chest. She could feel his heart pounding. As calm as he acted, she knew he was just as afraid as she was. "Look I need to tell you something. I saw what happened at the party…"

"I know. I made a fool of myself." she sobbed.

"No Sarah I know it wasn't your fault!"

"What are you talking about?" she asked, jerking her head back to look at him properly. It was then she noticed that Lysander's eyes were bruised and bloodshot. "Oh my gosh, what happened to you?"

"That woman in the bathroom, who called herself Tania. She was one of the threats I was telling you about. She did this to me, and she would have done a lot worse to you. That's why I had to stop her!"

This time Sarah didn't doubt his words. She now knew that he had come to rescue her in the bathroom, and swiftly, she felt extremely guilty for not believing him, even more so for the fact that he had gotten himself seriously assaulted for her.

"I'm so sorry, Lysander." she blubbed. "I should have believed you! I was just being spiteful because I was still made at you, but I shouldn't have been, I…"

"Hey, don't apologise. We've both acted stupid. But none of that matters now. What's important is that we keep you safe. Now, I need you to tell me. What exactly did she say to you when she read out that monologue?"

"Um…I can't exactly remember; something about a maiden…with a tainted hand, and a golden touch or something." She tried to search her brain for more information, but the whole evening seemed like one big blur to her now.

"Tainted hand?" Lysander burrowed his brow in deep thought, before he apprehended what Tania had done to her. His expression flooded with concern, as Sarah's gaze demanded to know what was wrong. "You've been cursed, Sarah, cursed badly. I'm afraid Tania cast a spell on you. She has given you a tainted hand, which means you will bring danger to the ones you love most. That's why all that bad stuff happened to you at the party." Lysander sighed heavily, and returned to his thoughts, apparently trying to figure out how to remove the curse.

"I don't understand. It brings danger to the people I love? But, It was Kathy's party. I don't love Kathy. I hardly know Kathy." she declared.

"No, but you love Karen, and she loves you. Seeing you lose control like that was dangerous for her. I could tell by her face when I walked into the party, just after you left. She was devastated. She told me she felt that she had failed you, and none of this would have happened if your father was here. I reassured her that it wasn't her fault, but she wouldn't believe me."

Sarah lowered her head, guiltily. She never knew that she actually _loved _Karen, and certainly didn't realise that Karen loved her. But when she thought about it, Karen had been a very good stepmother to her over the past few years. Sarah just never really appreciated it.

"Well what am I going to do, San? I don't want to hurt anyone else."

"There's nothing you can do, not until I return to the Labyrinth to find a cure."

"Well, can I come with you?" she pleaded.

"No!" he maintained. "Not now everyone knows who you are, there are much worse curses than the one Tania placed on you, much worse…The best thing for you to do now is go home. You used up a lot of the curse on the party so you should be safe for tonight. I'll go to the Underground and find Jareth. He might know if there's a reverse for the spell."

After a few minutes, Lysander managed to flag down a taxi. After checking that the driver was not a threat, he kissed Sarah's forehead, before helping her into the car.

"Good luck!" he wished, before running off into the night leaving Sarah alone, cursed and forlorn as the taxi sped through the night's breeze, the howling winds sweeping her hair from her face revealing her deep childlike eyes, more fearful than they had ever been.

Unbeknownst to her, she was already being watched by Jareth, who perched edgily on his throne as he glared at one of his crystal balls. The castle seemed quiet and deadly. Usually, it was awash with chanting and laughter, but this time not one goblin could be heard The King sat alone, fixating his eyes on Sarah, his anxious expression equalling hers.

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><p><em>Author's note: Just a little note to say thank you so so much to all those who are reading and reviewing this. I appreciate them all and will mention you all at the end of this. But for now, the story goes on... ;)<em>


	13. The Accident?

Throughout the remaining hours of darkness, Sarah tossed and turned in her sleep, her head crammed with thoughts about what possible dangers she could bring to others, and what awful perils awaited her. She felt incredibly responsible for everything that had happened, all because she selfishly wanted one more day in the Labyrinth. Now everyone in the Underground knew her, and they wanted to destroy her, and even worse, they wanted to harm her family and friends, who were oblivious the entire situation.

Nightmares began to haunt her slumber, from Baba's hostile eyes to Tania's looming cackle. The screams of her loved ones penetrated her ears and she had no idea how to shut them out. She twisted and squirmed, trying to wake herself up, but the cries only became louder and more daunting. After much struggle, her eyes bolted open with the sound of a screeching owl.

She awoke at quarter past seven in the morning, panting in a cold sweat. The echoes of the owl's roar still rung in her ears. It felt so real, yet she was completely alone. She went downstairs and made herself some breakfast, which she ate at the table, barely even savouring the cereal she consumed. She sat lost in thought for the next hour as she twiddled her locket. She didn't even realise that Karen was already in the kitchen, awkwardly waiting for her stepdaughter to notice her. Eventually, Sarah jumped when she realised she had company, but still she felt too shamefaced to say anything. What could she say? - 'Oh I'm sorry about the party, but it wasn't my fault. I was under a spell by a woman disguised as an immortal from another world'!

Seeing her discomfort, Karen went over to the breakfast table and sat down beside Sarah.

"I'm sorry." Karen apologised, surprising Sarah. "I shouldn't have made you go to the party. It was too soon after all that's happened. Seeing you behave like that made me realise that well, you're obviously not your full self and…you just need more time to recover."

Sarah didn't know what to say. So she did not respond. A simple appreciative smile was enough for Karen to leave Sarah to sit at the table alone while she went back upstairs to wake up Toby. She then continued to stay in the kitchen for most of the day, lost in her own thoughts while Karen and Toby played games in the living room.

In the late afternoon, the phone rang. Karen went into the hallway to answer. After eavesdropping on her conversation, Sarah knew that whoever was calling had made Karen sound disappointed, as her tone of voice was snappy and frustrated. After hanging up she walked over to Sarah.

"That was work. They said they need me to go in for a few hours." sighed Karen.

"So, what's the matter?" Sarah asked.

"Well it means that you'll have to watch Toby. I know you don't like it when I ask you to baby-sit but I really have no choice and…"

"No, no, it's fine. It's the least I can do after I practically destroyed your work party yesterday."

"Sarah I told you, don't keep thinking about that. You weren't in the right state of mind…But if you're okay with looking after Toby, then it'll be a big help. Besides, I'll only be gone for a couple of hours." Karen urged, as she gathered her coat and shoes together ready to leave the house.

But the Sarah become conscious of something that worried her greatly. Karen had just reminded her that she wasn't in a fit state of mind. She had been cursed, and there was nothing she could do about it. And now she was going to be alone…with Toby, her dearly beloved little brother!

"Actually…" Sarah called to Karen, just as she was about to leave. "I've just remembered…me and Lysander have plans this evening, so you might have to ask someone else."

"I can't ask somebody else. I'm leaving right now! I'm sure you and Lysander can make plans for tomorrow. Or invite him round here while you baby-sit. I don't mind, but I have to go now, okay so I'll see you in a few hours…Goodbye Toby!" she shouted into the living room. Toby did not answer, as he was to busy playing with his train set. In a heartbeat, Karen had disappeared from the house, leaving Sarah alone with her fate.

"Okay, if I just sit here for three hours then nothing can go wrong." Sarah muttered to herself as she fixed herself firmly in the living room chair, smiling at her brother as he played.

The first hour went by without any problems, unless the fact that Toby had broke one of his toy trains from slamming it too hard into the wall a serious dilemma, which, in a child's world, it was. Sarah admired the way her brother amused himself so easily, using his imagination to create a numerous worlds and kingdoms for the limited number of toys he had. How she wished she was his age again. Things were so much simpler. He didn't have to worry about relationships or work, or the fear that one day his mother would walk out the door and never return. No, Toby was a lucky, joyful child, and Sarah was going to make sure it stayed that way, no matter how stressful her own life was.

She read him a couple of stories during the second hour determined not to leave the spot she sat in, but as the third hour approached, the urge to stand up became strong, for nature was indeed calling her. She didn't want to have to leave Toby, but relieving herself in the midst of the lounge was a level she was not going to stoop to.

"Toby, I'm just going to the bathroom. I won't be long so stay right there, okay?" she instructed, patting his little carrot-topped head.

"Okay! I'm going to pretend that I'm Superman!" Toby flashed her a cheeky grin, then commenced a hazardous display of disorder as he dashed around with his arms stretched out, jumping on the chairs and knocking over his toys. After a moments thought, Sarah seized her accident-prone little brother and gripped his hand tightly.

"On second thought, I think you should follow me." Sarah lugged Toby's upstairs, ignoring his several attempts to bite and smack her hand, for she knew that if she left him downstairs some crazy immortal from another world would probably come kidnap him while she was in the bathroom.

"Get off me!" screamed Toby. "I don't wanna go poo poo with you!"

When they reached the top of the stairs Sarah ordered Toby to stay sat on the landing, just outside of the door.

"Now, while I'm in there, I want you to keep singing me your favourite song, okay?" she asked.

"Okay!" Toby spoke, giddily, clapping his hands in excitement as his sister disappeared into the bathroom. Then he began to sing. "_Sarah is a stupid head, she's too scared to go to bed_._ She's too scared to go poo poo, so she makes me sing, la la la la…_"

Sarah giggled as she finished up and flushed the chain, before proceeding to the sink to wash her hands.

"Keep singing okay, Toby." She yelled.

"_Silly little Sarah has a stupid face, she hasn't got any friends_…" Sarah knew he was only young, but she was still a touch offended by the words of a boy she once rescued from a Goblin King. Still, it was better than him being afflicted by her curse, so she listened some more. "_She's got googly eyes, and a big…_ Aghhhhh!" Toby screamed, causing Sarah to panic as she heard a great thud outside the door.

"Toby!" she cried, bursting out the door to find that Toby was no longer on the landing where she asked him to wait. Quickly, she approached the top of the staircase and looked down in horror.

"Oh no! Toby!" she shrieked.

The little six year old boy was lying at the bottom of the stairs. It seemed that he had fallen while he was dancing to the song; the song Sarah had asked him to sing! She charged down the stairs and knelt by his side. He lay still with his face towards the floor. Terrified, Sarah carefully turned him over.

"Ouch! It hurts!" he snivelled, as he gazed into his sisters eyes. His body trembled with shock and fear.

"Where does it hurt?" she queried, thankful that he was not unconscious, but still horrified about what had happened to him.

"My head!" he cried.

"It's okay, Toby. You'll be okay!" Sarah stroked his head softly, then stood up and ran to the phone where she dialled '911'. "Hello…I need an ambulance quickly…My little brother has fallen down the stairs…He's conscious but I think he's hurt his head…Okay…Thank you." Sarah put down the receiver, and rushed back over to her immobile brother, who didn't cry violently, but gently sobbed every few seconds. "The ambulance are coming to help you, Toby. Stay strong." Sarah bit her lower lip, as if to force herself not to scream out in distress. She continued to stroke Toby's head gently, examining it for cuts and bruises. There was no sign of any blood, but she noticed a large swelling on the top of his cranium. "I'm so sorry" she whispered, her tears falling onto her brother's ashen cheeks.

Paramedics came within minutes of the phone call. Sarah had left the door open, so they rushed straight through to find the brother and sister at the bottom of the stairs. Seeing them act so speedily with their fluorescent uniforms made Sarah's heart race within her doomed soul. They quickly carried him outside and into the back of the ambulance, where they headed off to the hospital. Sarah hated herself for leaving him, just for a few minutes in the bathroom. The guilt was too much to handle that she began to cry while she sat inside the speeding vehicle. One of the paramedics put his hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, Dear. You did well to act so quickly. Luckily, it looks like your brother has just had a mild contusion. He should be fine after a check-over from the doctor. All kids fall down the stairs once in their lives. Just be thankful that his is out of the way now" He laughed, tickling Toby's cheek as he lay on the clean white bed. Sarah smiled, dimly at the paramedic's reassurance. If only he knew the real reason for why Toby fell.

A quarter of an hour later, Karen arrived at the City Hospital. Hurriedly, she power-walked into the children's ward. Her middle-class attire stood out from all the poverty of the large crowded room. She self-importantly looked around until she spotted Sarah sitting beside a bed. A nurse was present, checking Toby's heartbeat with a stethoscope. Toby, now looking as right as rain, giggled every time the cold medical instrument touched his chest.

"Thank goodness!" Karen cried, as she prudently rushed up to her son. "What happened, Sarah? All I heard from your phone call was that I needed to come to the hospital quickly…I didn't know what to think!" Karen seemed genuinely anguished. She didn't even attempt to conceal the droplets of water that descended from her eyelids.

"I'm sorry. I had no time to explain. It happened so fast…" sobbed Sarah.

"Well, what happened?" Karen shouted now, gazing back and forth from Sarah to the nurse, who was joking around with Toby. When the nurse recognized the boy's mother was in attendance, she embarrassedly straightened herself up and cleared out her throat.

"Hello Mrs. Williams. Your son fell down the stairs, but luckily enough he has not suffered from any major injuries. He has a slight bump on the head, but he should be able to go home after he's been fully checked over by the Doctor, who will be along shortly. Now if you'll please excuse me, I just have to go and see to another patient." The young nurse nervously walked away. Karen shook her head as she watched her run over to a little girl and pick her up, swinging her around as she did so. Annoyed, she turned to face her stepdaughter.

"Sarah, what was my son doing at the top of the stairs, on his own?" she snapped.

"I…I'm sorry I…" Sarah didn't know how she was going to explain to Karen that her intentions were for Toby's own safety.

"Wasn't Sarah's fault!" chirped Toby. "She went to have a poo poo, and she told me to stay downstairs, but I didn't do what I was told, and I followed her up there. Then I fell over when I was dancing on the stairs. Sarah helped me get better."

Sarah gawped in shock and revelation, almost weeping with pride. She could not believe that her little brother was lying for her. As a baby she had literally disowned him, and now here he was, defending her honour. She couldn't have asked for a better sibling.

"Is this true? ...Oh, well I'm sorry, Sarah. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. I know you wouldn't have been stupid enough to leave him alone at the top of the staircase." She looked at her son. "Just as long as you're alright, darling." Karen stroked Toby's head, while he stuck out his tongue n return. They all laughed and for a moment, and Sarah felt a trace of happiness again, almost forgetting that the nightmare was far from over.

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><p><em>AN: So glad you're enjoying this story. I enjoyed writing it.<em>

_ Don't worry... I haven't forgotten about Jareth... Wait for the next chapter! ;-)_


	14. The Visitor

At around six o'clock that evening, Sarah, Toby and Karen arrived home, fatigued and disorientated. The two adults dawdled tiresomely into the house, seemingly looking forward to a long and peaceful slumber, while the little boy jumped up and down with his ever-persistant excitment. For even with his bruised cranium, Toby still wanted to return to playing Superman.

"Calm down, Dear!" insisted Karen, as she tried to control her son from running into a pile of bookshelves that stood in the corner of the drawing room. She heaved a sigh, then looked at Sarah. "I'm going to have to keep my eye on him. He's become such a active little boy. You know I don't blame you, don't you?" she asked, slumping herself in the armchair.

"I know." Sarah smiled, feebly, for she knew that she really _was _to blame, for everything. But she was determined not to break down again. This time she had to be strong. "Have you phoned dad yet?" she questioned, as she began to put away Toby's toys in an attempt to deem herself helpful.

"No." Karen sighed. "It will only worry him. I think it's best if we explain it to him when he gets home."

Sarah felt a little worried. What if her father asked more questions and decided to blame it on her? She would hate if he became mad at her. He was the man she needed more than anyone at this moment. All the same, she knew it was for the best that he was away. She couldn't bear to think of what the threats would do to him.

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><p>Two hours later, Sarah lay on her bed, frozen. Her eyes were fixated on the wall, as if they were trying to see past the wallpaper and bricks, searching for a whole other world to come to her and give her the answers to her all of her troubles. Confusion devoured her senses. Her mother had died and all she got for sympathy was an entire heap of new problems, not to mention a curse that brought misfortune to everyone she cared about. She slowly closed her eyes; not to sleep, but to block away all of the wickedness that she had been affected by. A gentle draught of wind gusted across her face. 'Strange', she thought. She didn't realise she had left her window open, but she was too relaxed to go and close it. All she wanted to do was shut her eyes and erase the world from her mind. As she did this, she couldn't help but feel rather beautiful, and if her spirit was to leave her body and rise up to look down on herself, she would have been able to confirm this fact. Her lissome frame and feminine features excelled with innocence and grace. Even in the night sky, her rosy lips and lavish eyelashes were prominent and noticeable.<p>

While her eyes were closed, she could have sworn she felt the presence of someone looming over her bedstead; someone who simply hovered discreetly, watching her sleep, or at least watching her pretend to sleep. Maybe it was just her imagination, but the manifestation comforted her, and for once she didn't feel threatened. She sighed, happily, as if to invite the figure to lean in closer, surprised that her invitation was met. The figure moved closer, and she could feel the heavy breathing on her face. She smiled slightly as the cool breath cleansed her complexion, and an exhilarating chill fluttered down her spine. She knew exactly who it was.

"Sarah…" he whispered gently, causing her to smile. She didn't know why she was so glad he was here. Wasn't _he _the reason for all the mess she was in? Wasn't _he _the one who had failed to tell her that Lysander, her best friend of five years, was actually his infiltrator? All of this seemed to float from her mind, as she welcomed his company. He brushed his soft naked hand from her waist to her neck, causing her entire body to tingle with lust. She was sure that he was going to kiss her, as he stroked her cheek and brought himself close to her. But instead, his lips gently brushed passed hers and proceeded to the side of her face, where he whispered softly into her ear. "You left without saying goodbye." he said. Teasingly, she did not answer, nor did she open her eyes. "Oh I see, playing that game, are you?…Well, I guess I'll just be leaving."

Sarah felt his cool breath and warm body disappear from her senses. The room felt much emptier than it did a few seconds ago. The smile on her face disappeared, as she gradually opened her eyes. He wasn't there. She was about to frown until she heard a manly chuckle. Quickly, her eyes darted to the very corner of the room, where she saw a shadowy figure standing casually, with his arms crossed and his leg slightly slanted up against the wall. He slowly walked forward until she could clearly see his charismatic face glowing in the light of the moon that shone through her window. He wore a black ruffled tightly-fitted regency shirt which bared a glimpse of his smooth firm chest. His lips shaped into a mischievous smirk as he laughed at her wide-eyed expression.

"Why so concerned, Sarah? Did you think I left?" he scoffed. She didn't reply, just frowned as he continued to speak. "Well, I thought you deserved some sort of retaliation, seeing as you played a disappearing act on me the other night."

She had forgotten how much his taunts aggravated her. How could he be so indifferent when so much had happened?

"In my defence, I didn't realise that I was going to wake up in my own bed that night! You should have reminded me that I had to use up my last wish before the morning!" she shouted, as he continued to chortle. "It's okay laughing, but I didn't get to make my final wish!"

"I never realised you were so ravenous Sarah. You should be grateful you had _three _wishes, never mind a fourth one. Besides, you can't really get any better than that third wish you made. Well…maybe a little better!" he teased, flashing her a wide smirk.

"Pfft! I don't know how you dare stand there, and say that I should be grateful when I have all of these Threats trying to destroy me and the people I care about!" she yelled, ignoring his attempts to be charming.

"Ahh, yes. That is what I came to talk to you about. Sarah, I don't think it is safe for you to be here anymore. From what Lysander has told me, the Threats have become a great deal more vicious than I anticipated." Jareth's temperament still remained nonchalant, much to her irritation.

"Oh, and that's another thing! What the hell did you think you were doing, sending someone to pretend to be my friend, but really they were lying to me and secretly killing teachers behind my back, hmm? Were you ever going to tell me Lysander was your employee?"

"Employee? Oh, Sarah don't belittle me with your human terms. He was my prisoner, and is now my most trusted servant. I sent him to protect you, and up until now he has done a damn good job!"

"I never asked you to send protection!"

"If I had not sent him you would be dead by now!" he shouted, losing his cool at long last.

"And whose fault is that?" she retorted.

"Yours!"

"Why? Just because I rescued my brother!"

"No, because you chose to return to your humdrum existence, instead of remaining in the Labyrinth with me, that's why! What kind of silly little girl chooses to give up her dreams for this?" he sneered, gazing around at her commonplace bedroom. "Now, because of _your _decision, the immortals are after you. They are not most pleased with a girl living in the mortal world with our kind of powers! And frankly, I don't blame them!"

"Then why don't you just leave them to come and get me?" she cried, half testing him to see if he would actually be so cruel.

Jareth sighed heavily, and paced up and down for a few seconds before perching on the end of her bed. He looked deep into her eyes with heartfelt emotion, and Sarah had her answer.

"I would rather die myself, then let them take your life."

His words sent rousing shivers down her spine. She never would have believed he cared so much about her if he didn't say what he had just said. "I knew you would never have chosen me over your family, Sarah. And you know why? Because of this."

He swooped closer to her and placed his hand on her heart.

"Your heart possesses so much love, and I never entirely understood how, or why… until you wished yourself back into the Labyrinth just a few days ago. I felt what it was like to care for someone so deeply, that I would risk leaving my Labyrinth just to be close to her for another night."

"Jareth I…" she began to whisper, until the light from the landing switched on.

"Sarah? Who are you talking to? Is everything alright?" It was Karen, who yelled from outside the door. Sarah jumped at the sound of her voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I…I was just reading!" she replied, feeling red and disorientated.

"You're sounding a little hoarse, Dear. Maybe you should get some sleep?"

"I will!"

Karen wished her a goodnight, before retreating downstairs. Sarah's eyes wandered from the door back to Jareth. Imagine if she had walked in and saw a strange glitter-obsessed Goblin King in her stepdaughters room.

"Great. Now she thinks that I talk to myself." Sarah knew she might as well have wrapped herself in a straight-jacket and presented herself to her family screaming the words 'Tickle me! I'm Elmo!' in their faces. Jareth chuckled to himself, as if he could hear her thoughts. Sarah shot him a narked expression, which told him to take the situation more seriously.

"Look, I promise you I will not let anything happen to you. The dangers will be taken care of. Me and Lysander are meeting tonight. We are going to search high and low for every immortal who poses a threat to you and your family. But for now, you should take your stepmother's advice. You should sleep."

He arose from the bed and turned his back, walking towards the window.

"Wait…" she beseeched. "Don't, don't go."

Jareth rotated his head back round to her, and presented a devilish, yet charming, smirk on his lips as Sarah coyly sat up on her bed.

"Is it really wise for me to stay? Aren't you afraid that I'll…seduce you" he taunted.

"I'm not afraid!" she said boldly.

Intrigued, he strutted up to her bed and placed himself back on the foot of it. Staring nervously at each other, they both became unsure of what they wanted out of this. For a while they simply rested in silence, until Sarah decided to speak again.

"I know I chose to return to this world all that time ago, but it doesn't mean that I wasn't tempted to stay." she admitted, uncertain of where she was going with this.

"Oh, really?" he enquired, raising his left brow.

"Why else would I have made that last wish?…I mean, it was a good wish. I liked it. There's no harm in it is there? If it feels…you know…, then why can't a grown woman wish for a simple…kiss." Jareth smirked. He could see what she wanted though her uncomfortable hints. "Anyway, we need to deal with this curse I'm under, and get rid of the Threats now, don't we?" she necessitated, trying to change the subject. "Does this curse have a time-limit or something? Or do I have to take some kind of antidote? I don't know. I've only ever seen these things in movies…"

Jareth found her nervousness amusing, and let her jibber on for a while. Then, he stood back onto his feet and walked around to the head of her bed, where he knelt down before her face, causing her to gulp.

"You know, if you want to repeat that third wish, all you have to do is say. After all, even though I cannot grant you anymore wishes, it does not mean that I am disinclined to grant your requests" he told, arrogantly, in hope that she would ask him the question they both wanted to hear. Sarah was uncomfortable, but eager. She wanted more than anything for him to kiss her, but she didn't want to have to ask him every sensed this. "Very well. The other night you wished that I would kiss you. This time, I wish that you would kiss me." He looked into her eyes with a charming gaze. Sarah usually found his forwardness annoying, but tonight her hunger for his touch overpowered her morals. How could she refuse him now? "Will you grant my wish?" he questioned.

She looked at him with curiosity, and in the haze of his vibrant glare, her decision was made. Gradually, she crept her hand towards his silky face and caressed it lightly. Her other hand took his slender fingers and placed them around her waist, inviting him to join her on the bed. She moved in closer until her body was in touch with his. The warmth of his chest traversed thorough her lace nightgown and into her skin. Although he had only requested for a kiss, their hearts pulsated as if they thought something more was bound to happen. She moved her lips towards his and teased them just as he had done to her. They lingered over his mouth until little by little, she moved in, and began to devour his quintessence once again. All the nerves she felt before had vanished, and were replaced with the feelings of confidence, freedom and maturity. Blissfully, she sighed as Jareth trailed his hands across her body and embraced her with his lips, caressing her mouth and neck. The excitement grew so fast, she could hardly contain herself. She lay her back down on the bed and pulled him down with her. Her hands pressed against his chest as she tried to find a way to pull of his shirt, whilst still trying to feel the passion of his enchanting kisses. For a second Jareth hesitated. She began to feel embarrassed and wondered why he had paused. That was when she detected that they were not alone.

Sarah turned her head to the right where Jareth already looked. She gasped in horror when she saw a shadowy figure lurking by the window.


	15. The Threat

Terror instilled within Sarah's innocent heart. The infatuation and desire she had felt but a few seconds ago had evaporated into a state of uncertainty. Who was this mysterious individual that had interrupted what was to be the most passionate night of her life so far?

The figure loitered by the window for a short while as Sarah looked on in dread, scared of who this penumbra was and what it wanted. Her pulse was racing, and the sweat that she had gained from her fervent encounter with Jareth had turned into the sweat of fear. Jareth did not speak. He too simply gawped at the figure with immense frustration. They both waited in silence; waited for the strange being to emerge into the light. Still laying vulnerably on the bed, their grasp on each other had loosened, evidently feeling uncomfortable that someone had been watching their every touch.

The word 'Threat' came to Sarah's mind, and she was sure Jareth was thinking the same. The creatures of the Underground must have found out that Jareth was with her. The power of the Goblin King and the new abilities of the mortal girl were plainly a huge threat to their civilization. But the major uncertainty that lurked in their minds was the identity of this mysterious intruder.

"Who are you?" asked Jareth finally, in his stern and demanding voice. The figure laughed quietly and evilly, causing Sarah's heart to leap in fright. From the intruder's wicked cackle, they recognised the voice as being male. "I demand you to give me an answer you vile being!" ordered Jareth, who dismounted Sarah's bed and straightened himself up, ready to attack if necessary.

The man walked forward leisurely, with heavy footsteps, so that his identity could only just be distinguished in the slight glimmer of the moonlight.

"Now, now Jareth." condemned the man. "There's no need for name-calling. You know better than that."

Sarah gazed in shock at the man she once believed to be a true a gentleman.

"Tom?…Sir Tom Rainu?"

"That's right. Me!" glared the tall dark nobleman, who had treated Sarah so gallantly at the ball.

Tom was dressed in dark leathery robes, which hung heavily against his bulky stature. His deep hazel eyes, which were once warm and inviting, were now murky and dangerous, leering at the couple underneath his thick black eyebrows. A deep emerald rune hung from his neck, and appeared to be glowing slightly.

"What are you playing at Tom?" shouted Jareth, infuriated.

"I should be asking you the same question." implored Tom, who glared inquisitively at the couple.

"I don't understand." yelped Sarah.

"Poor Sarah, so naïve and innocent. Do you really think I, Sir Tomas Rainu of the Underground Knossos, would go for a scrawny little girl like you. Remember this; 'I never believed in angels before I saw you'" he mocked in his old charming voice. "Ha! I can't actually believe you fell for that."

Tom's entire manner was extremely threatening, not at all like the kind, thoughtful man he was at the ball. Even his hair, which now dangled wildly against his broad shoulders, threatened her with its thick and oily lack of discipline.

"I trusted you, Tomas!" criticized Jareth through gritted teeth, but his words went unnoticed by the hostile intruder, who continued to probe Sarah.

"Try and understand this, Sarah. A careless mortal like you should not be exploiting the Underground, just because you feel lonely and worthless in your own world!"

Sarah felt greatly offended by this, but she knew that this was not the time for her temper tantrums in this dangerous game.

"Look, I'm sorry Tom, okay? I would never have wished to go to the Labyrinth if I knew the chaos that it was going to cause, but I promise you, I don't want to take over your world!" she stressed.

"You don't need to apologise, Sarah" snapped Jareth. "You've done nothing wrong." He glowered at Tom with disgust. "I should have known that you were behind all this, you wretched fool!"

"Oh, come, Jareth. You can drop the act now. We've got her! There's nowhere for her to run." implied Tom, grinning unlawfully.

"What's he talking about?" enquired Sarah., darting her eyes between the two immortal men. Looking at their stern faces and lavish garments, she felt very out of place, even in her own bedroom!

"Nothing! Can't you see he's trying to wind you up?" barked Jareth.

"Don't lose sight of the game, Goblin King. Just because you've fallen for the girl, doesn't mean we should abandon our plan!"

"Shut up, Tom!" In all of Jareth's rages Sarah had seen, this was by far the worst. She wanted to believe that Tom was winding her up, but she had been lied to so often that she couldn't be wholly sure.

"What plan?" she quizzed.

Tom cackled.

"Surely you don't think Jareth really liked you! It was our plan all along. The ball was supposed to be the perfect setting. We couldn't decide which one of us would get the pleasure in killing you. Then when you ran off into the bathroom I thought 'Perfect! This is my chance'. It was only when Jareth rudely interrupted, I assumed that he would do the honours…But he didn't!" Tom scorned at the now furious Goblin King. "If I'd have known you were going to end up smooching with her then I would have done it all on my own!"

"You filthy, repellent LIAR!" shouted Jareth, as he stood up off the bed and quickly pulled out a crystal from beneath his cloak.

Sarah looked on in shock, as Jareth was about to hurl the crystal at Tom. But Tom was too quick for Jareth and thrust his hand forward so that he went flying across the room, hitting the back wall with a thunderous bang.

"Jareth!" she screamed, seeing that the Goblin King had been almost knocked unconscious. She ran towards him and knelt beside him.

"Sarah…" Jareth uttered in a hoarse and quiet voice, clearly in pain from the power that came from Tom's hand. "Don't believe….don't believe what he said. I…would…never…"

"Its alright. I know! I believe you!" cried Sarah, who stroked her hand across his defenceless cheek. She didn't like seeing him so vulnerable, as she had always thought of him as invicible.

"What in God's name is that racket?" another voice called. It was Karen. She had heard the loud thud from when Jareth fell, and now rushed up the stairs to find out what was going on. Sarah panicked.

"It's nothing! Everything's fine! Go back downstairs!" yelled Sarah, foolishly hoping that for once her stepmother would do as she was asked. The last thing she wanted was for Tom to hurt her.

However, this time Karen wasn't going to stand for Sarah's lies. Without invitation, she burst straight into the bedroom, idly expecting to find a fallen bookshelf or broken lamp. But to her horror, she found herself in the midst of a scene that was too alien for her too grasp. For there was her stepdaughter, accompanied by two inhuman beings, one with a dark menacing glare, and another who lay on the floor unconscious, both clothed in garments that appeared to be taken from an 18th century dressing up box. She stared at Sarah in total disbelief, her eyes begging for enlightenment. But Sarah didn't even get a chance to explain, for Tom had already pounced to the door and roared at Karen in the most frightening voice she had ever heard.

"She said 'GO DOWNSTAIRS!'" he boomed. His presence was so terrifying that Karen fell backwards and tripped on the landing, causing her to plummet down the staircase, much to Sarah's horror. Screaming, she tried to run after her, but Tom yanked her back by the hair.

"Where do you think you're going?" leered Tom, who then pinned her against the far wall.

Sarah wept so hard that she could no longer speak, as his eyes pierced into hers. They had turned into a deadly green, the same colour as his emerald rune, and like Baba's, they were impossible to resist. Suddenly, the entire bedroom was twirling around her. She saw Jareth's static body and tried to call for him, but the sounds of her voice were being overtaken by the ghostly screams of unidentified people in Sarah's head. All she could see was Tom's intense green eyes, which were slowly putting her into a deep trance. The screams were getting louder and louder. He had her completely trapped. Her head was swimming with dizziness. Her brain could not take the noise anymore and her eyes couldn't take the intensity. She felt sick. She felt like she was going to explode, until…

She fell to the floor slowly with a prolonged thud. Her cold, petrified eyes were still wide open, but she was not moving. She was lifeless!


	16. The Theatre

Eventually, her eyelids began to flicker in the small beam of light that shone directly onto her, seeping from above through the terrifying darkness of the cold room. Her vision was blurry and her eyes stung, but she could already sense the chilling atmosphere which she was about to encounter. As she finally peeked out into her consciousness she could make out the shape of someone who was leaning by her.

"Jareth?" she asked feebly.

A sudden burst of laughter erupted from the person's foul mouth, to which she realised that it was Tom, who smugly rested against a large rock. His laughter startled her, and caused her to jolt upwards so that she could gaze properly at the area that surrounded her. The room was a huge dark pit, and seemed more daunting than any Oubliette she had ever been in. Looking up, she could see just a small speck of light from a gap in the ceiling but it was too far to even think about escaping that way. She tried to scan her eyes further but it was so dark that she couldn't tell how big the room was, and whether there was anywhere to try and run to. There were no walls, doors or corners in sight.

Tom watched her for a few seconds, finding her panic amusing. He sniggered, much like Jareth did when Sarah first landed in his dungeon. Admittedly, Tom shared some similar traits to Jareth. The way he fiddled about with his gloves and the way he patronised her with his wicked grin. But Sarah had learned that as much as Jareth taunted her, he would never harm her. Tom, on the other hand, was pure evil. His entire body was cloaked in darkness, from his stone brown eyes to his blackened robes, which had a strong leathery smell, remnant of rotting corpses and stale flesh.

She tried to stand up to get a better look at her surroundings, but something jolted her back onto the floor. That was when she noticed that her foot had been confined to a large rusty chain. She tried to struggle free but there was no way she could break out of the chain's strength alone.

Tom laughed once more.

"Not even Jareth himself could use his magic to break you out of that chain!" he declared.

"What have you done with him?" she demanded.

Tom thought about it for a while.

"Tell you what, why don't I show you where your precious lover is?"

He raised his hand out so that it pointed to behind where Sarah lay. All of a sudden there was a loud clanging sound, and Sarah watched as a small cage, made up of decomposed bones, plunged down from the ceiling. Inside the cage was a snowy white owl, which appeared shabby and wounded. Some of it's feathers had been ripped off and it had blood around it's face and claws. Sarah sobbed as she looked into the owls eyes. To anyone else they would just look like ordinary owl eyes, but Sarah could see the man inside.

"Jareth." she whispered, knowing he couldn't answer.

"Yes, that's right." boasted Tom, who swaggered up to the caged and leered at the owl. "I like him better as a bird. Much nicer to look at, much less argumentative."

"Please Tom. You're problem is with me, not Jareth. Can't you just leave him be?" she pleaded.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. What kind of idiot would I be if I set free the only person who could stop it from happening?" he taunted.

"Stop what from happening?" she questioned regretfully, petrifed of what the answer might be.

Tom glared into her eyes, a smiled his most fearsome smile yet. It seemed that he took pleasure in stalling his response for a few seconds, before articulating the words that dispirited her soul.

"Your death!" he sneered, then clicked his fingers only once; a sound that seemed to echo around the whole room. Sarah knew this wasn't going to be pleasant. She could faintly hear the sounds of drumming from far away, and within that drumming she could hear people marching, or what she assumed were people. It sounded as if an entire army was coming for her. She sat there pathetically, as the footsteps got closer and closer, left to face whatever terrible evil was approaching. And then they came…

* * *

><p>From the shadows in the distance she could barely make out the silhouettes of about twenty human-shaped figures marching towards her. They began to stomp more rapidly, synchronising their every move. She quivered and held her breath, as terror flooded her eyes as if this was to be her tragic end. Tom cackled with anticipation as he watched her gasp in awe as she gaped upon the tens of skeletons that were drawing near to her. Each of them bore a long dark cloak and a fatal scythe, appearing as a form of Death himself. She could barely move. The chain held her foot so tightly that even a slight movement of her leg would injure her. She gawped at their faces. Their skulled expressions were a of fixated open-mouthed cold stare, piercing into Sarah's fearful eyes. She was confident that she was going to die any second. The skeletons came closer and closer until they were only metres away from her. Closing her eyes, she thought of her family. She thought of Karen and wondered if she was even alive. She thought of Toby and wept at the thought of him growing up without a sister, or possibly a mother. She thought of her father and questioned how he would cope with losing so many loved ones at once. Then she thought of her mother, who lay coldly in her fresh grave. If anything good was to come out of this, Sarah would at least get to see her again. So she waited...waited...waited...<p>

But to her surprised, the skeletons had stopped marching, and stood firmly in front of her. She opened her eyes, and saw them all stand to a halt around her, still with the same eerie open-mouthed gaze.

"What's the matter? Why don't they just kill me now?" she asked, confused.

Tom laughed.

"_They're _not going to kill you, foolish girl! _I_ am! They're just going to guard you for a moment or two, whilst I gather the others."

"Others?"

"You don't think I'm going to just kill you without allowing my loyal subjects enjoy the show, do you? Sarah, I have more style than that. We _all _want to make sure that you die, so that you can never return to the Underground ever again!" As he spoke, he raised his hands in a dramatic gesture, and the dark room suddenly went a little bit lighter. That was when Sarah became aware that she was located in an old abandoned theatre, complete with shattered chandeliers and hundreds of seats, waiting to be filled with creatures from the Underground who would watch her die live on stage!

"I suppose you're wondering where we are." stated Tom, who noticed her sudden curiosity. "This theatre used to be a prominent part of the Labyrinth, located right in the heart of it. Jareth hosted many a great production here, and often invited the entire Underground. That was before he started getting snooty about who could and who couldn't enter his kingdom. Luckily, he always trusted me. His biggest mistake!"

"Please Tom." she blubbed, begging with her eyes, hoping that the kindness he had shown her at the ball would somehow find its way into his senses.

"Sarah, I have no heart. I am damn good at acting sentimental as you know, but I would never feel any sympathy for you, so you might as well save your tears. I have been planning this from the moment you set foot in the Labyrinth."

After a few moments, Tom proceeded to make his way off the stage and prepared to go and find his assemblage, leaving Sarah alone the caged owl and the formidable skeletons. She knew that now she only had one possible hope, Lysander.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" shouted Tom, just before he was about to teleport himself out of the theatre. "Don't think I'm unaware of that fancy-pants buddy of yours."

Without warning, another cage dropped down next to Sarah. This cage was much bigger, and as it reached the ground she noticed that Lysander was lying unconscious inside the skeletal prison. His golden strands of hair were tarnished in sweat, and his usual immaculate complexion was puffy and beaten. Sarah began to cry for the two men she cared so much about, who sat helplessly by her on either side of the stage.

"Don't worry too much, love. It will all be over soon" Tom jeered. He cackled one last time, before he disappeared from Sarah's vision in the twinkling of an eye.

* * *

><p>It seemed as if there was no hope. She was trapped with no way out, and no hope of survival. She kept on turning her head from Lysander to Jareth, but they were both hopeless in their current positions. The skeleton guards still ogled her intently with their frozen miens, and she couldn't help but gawk at them in return. It was unsettling, the way their hollow black eyes gazed into her soul, as if they knew her past, present and future down to the most graphic detail. They didn't move. They didn't speak. They just terrified her with their unavoidable presence.<p>

That was until a ruckus from the far end of the theatre had distracted them. Simultaneously, they turned their heads all the way around to confront the noisy howling sound at the rear, just outside of the auditorium. and Sarah too, observed the racket, squinting her eyes to try and make out what was causing it. Then the roars were accompanied by the sounds of voices; voices she recognized.

"That's it my brother. Howl like thou has never howled before. We need to save my Lady!….Come here at once Ambrosius! This is no time for cowardice!" one of them said. Then another voice began to bellow.

"Oooowwooooooo!" The roars became stronger and more voices emerged. A slight smile appeared across Sarah's face. She wanted hope, and it seemed like hope was about to appear.

"Do I get to take off somebody's head?" asked another creature, who bore a Jamaican accent.

"Just so longs as you leave Sarah's head alone, you mangy beasts!" ordered another, who Sarah identified to be Hoggle. She wept with joy and pride. Her friends had come to save her!

The skeletons gripped their scythes tightly, as the back walls began to crumble. Then, out of the blue, a cluster of large boulders came crashing through the room, destroying several of the back rows of the theatre. Ludo, the shaggy red giant yeti, bellowed as he and a small militia of the Labyrinth's creatures came bursting through the building. Hoggle, Sir Didymus the noble fox, his lily-livered dog Ambrosius, Ludo and several pink Firey's came charging down the aisles.

"I'm comin' Sarah!" assured Hoggle, who tottered as fast as he could down the aisles, his little legs pumping back and forth in haste.

"Fear not, my Lady!" declared Sir Didymus, who hurtled down the gangway on his canine steed.

Ludo trudged along, swinging his bushy tail; his deep orange eyes gleaming with delight at the sight of his old friend. Abruptly, the skeletons marched straight over to the creatures ready to battle. Sir Didymus, being the courageous knight he was, immediately stormed in their direction without a fear in the world, while his shaggy dog, Ambrosius, whimpered as he reluctantly obeyed the orders of the boisterous fox. Hoggle stayed behind, attempting to find another way of reaching the stage and rescue Sarah. The Firey's chanted and shrieked as they cart-wheeled down towards Sarah and the guards. It wasn't clear whether they were actually helping or not. The way they danced and skipped made it seem more of a cabaret than a battle, as if a group of fluffy pink monkeys had come to provide entertainment, while the others bravely risked their lives for the young girl.

Sadly, in truth, none of the animals were doing much good. Sarah knew that Tom would have not sent in guards that would easily be defeated by a few little creatures. The skeletons were not affected by anything Sarah's friends had tried to do to them. They flung Sir Didymus across the room and blocked Hoggle's path to the stage. The rocks that Ludo called didn't even touch them, and unsurprisingly, they recognised that the Firey's had removable heads, which they easily took off and threw about. The skeletons no longer marched, but were swiftly chasing Sarah's friends and bruising them up badly. Sarah wanted to shout for them all to run, but she knew that her voice would just put all of the guard's attention back on her again. She simply sat and prayed that they weren't badly hurt.

The battle went on for a good few minutes before her friends were too wounded to persevere in rescuing her. After a while, the skeletons chased them off outside of the doors. Sarah, the owl and the unconscious Lysander were left alone, and thanks to Hoggle and his gang, she now had only minutes to escape before Tom returned with his party.


	17. The Plan

_"I give thou the gift of the tainted hand, since power and peril, you seem to withstand, for gold shalt not spring from your sacred touch, but danger will come to those you love much."_

Sarah's curse was at its most insidious. Seeing Jareth and Lysander so powerless made her realise how much she actually cared for them. The lies they had told her before didn't matter now. They only did it for her wellbeing, and now she had failed them both. Focusing on Jareth, she watched him for a while, hoping for some kind of indication of what to do. His deep stone eyes seemed saddened by the state of affairs, and she knew that he had little hope for them all. Turning to Lysander, she flinched at the sight of his badly beaten body, but out of the two of them, he was her best hope. She had to find some way to wake him up, before it was too late.

"Lysander!" she cried, hopelessly knowing that her voice wouldn't revive him, but attempting to do so anyway. "Jareth, what do I do?" she pleaded. The owl stared wistfully into her eyes as if he really wanted to help, but knew he was useless.

Maybe if she could create a noise loud enough, it would kindle Lysander from his nothingness, but the chain that bound her foot didn't leave her much room to search around. The stage was near enough bare; no long stick to poke him with, no stones or small items to throw at him. Though, just when she was about to surrender, Jareth began to hoot boisterously.

"What is it?" she queried, glancing at the owl who now looked up to the ceiling. Following his gaze, she saw that there was an unsteady beam stretched above Lysander's cage, which seemed like it would break loose if aggravated. Noticing that the metal chain that trapped her foot was connected to the beam, she figured that if she yanked it hard enough the shaft could fall down and smash open Lysander's cage. But whether Lysander would survive the crash or not was another issue. "I can't do it Jareth. It might hurt him!" she pleaded.

The owl hooted some more, as if to say that it was the only choice. She bit her lip and looked up again. She had to do it. Gripping on to the chain, she wrenched it hard. The beam began to wobble, but not enough for it to fall. The walls started to creak a little which panicked Sarah. But Jareth hooted again, so she jerked the chain one last time. Immediately, the stage began to shudder and vibrate. Sarah became overcome with trepidation. It was such an old theatre the whole building might have collapsed. She watched the beam above her. It shook a little…then shook some more. Eventually, it broke loose and tumbled to the floor. Sarah screamed as it landed right on top of Lysander's cage. It managed to break a few of the bars as it fell, but unfortunately not enough for him to break out of. She winced her eyes desperately praying that the damage wasn't too bad. The shaft was so bulky, that the noise the collision made was thunderous. Lysander would have had to have been dead for it not to have waken him.

He didn't move.

Sarah gasped for air.

Had she just killed her best friend?

Jareth's sable eyes also filled with apprehension. If Lysander didn't awaken, they would both be doomed.

"Its over…" Sarah whispered, lowering her lids and wallowing in the guilt she had just created for herself.

But then, the owl let out a vivacious shriek.

Miraculously, Lysander's eyes flickered once….twice….and then a third time. Sarah panted and crossed her fingers, blubbering with relief when her friend began to cough himself awake. When his view came into focus, he quickly jumped up and let out a small cry, startled at seeing Sarah's distressed face in front of him. She had never seen him so frightened. She felt scared for him, but all she could do was smile, happy and relieved that he was alive.

"Sarah? Where are we? What's going on?" he asked in such a sincere way, clutching his head with his right to indicate his pain. His left arm dangled motionless from his shoulders, and seemed severely fractured. Confusion filled his face as he glanced from Sarah to the caged owl.

"Oh Sandy, I'm so glad you're okay!" she shed tears. She wished she could have ran up and hugged him, but the shackle that constrained her lower limb told her otherwise. "That's Jareth!" she explained, pointing to the owl. "There's not much time to explain. They'll be back any second, but the threats found me, and Tomas Rainu is their leader! He locked us all up, and he's planning to kill me in front of all of his followers!"

"What?…I don't believe…and Tom? I treated him like a brother!" said a shocked Lysander.

"I know. Me and Jareth were just as surprised. But there's no time! We have to find a way out of here, now!"

Lysander tried to sit up, but shrieked in pain.

"What's wrong?"

"My arm, I think it's broken." he cringed.

Tears welled up in Sarah's eyes. She feared for him and she feared for herself. Glimpsing at Jareth as a small and feeble owl, she realised that he was no longer the powerful King he was before which made her fear for him too.

"What are we going to do?" asked Sarah, doubting that he had the answer. He sighed with uncertainty. Then there was a moment of silence for a few seconds which seemed to them like an eternity. "I'm sorry" admitted Sarah. "For being so angry with you. I know now that you was only trying to protect me, and I know you've always been my friend. My only true friend on Earth."

"Hey, no apologies, okay? You had every right to act like you did." He groaned, trying not to move his injured arm. "I should be telling you I'm sorry. If I'd have told you about the threats earlier then this might never had happened."

Sarah laughed.

"I thought you just said no apologies."

"I know. Sorry" he said, making them both giggle.

Jareth had few facial expressions as an owl, but Sarah was sure he had rolled his eyes at the maudlin display of emotions. As Lysander chortled, he slapped his right hand against his pocket, and detected that there was something inside. He took a look, and started laughing once more.

"What? What is it?" enquired Sarah, who had stopped chuckling in the sudden realisation that she and her friends were all about to be killed.

"That fool!" he screeched, as he pulled out a knife from his pocket with his good arm. The knife was no normal knife. It was very sharp, and appeared to be enchanted with a golden glow. Sarah stared in awe as Lysander smiled and looked up at her.

"Where did you get that knife from?" Sarah interrogated.

"I took it with me when I went looking for a antidote for your curse, just in case I bumped into any threats. I was going to use it when I got captured by the shadowed stranger, who I now realise was Tom, but he knocked me out cold in less than a second!"

"But what will you do with it?"

"I'm guessing Tom didn't have much time to plan all of this, seeing as he's only just gone to congregate the others. That means that this cage is probably made of nothing more than ordinary bone. Surely with this knife I can cut my way out of it."

"Well hurry!" cried Sarah, who's eyes were half filled with anticipation and half filled with fright.

Lysander held the knife tightly in his hand, and carefully brought it to contact with one of the skeletal bars. He began to smile as the knife severed effortlessly through each piece, as if it was cutting through a piece of cake. Every incision caused an ear-splitting screech, which stirred up panic in both of them. Even though the bars broke apart quite easily it still took a few minutes until he was free. When he'd cut enough bars he struggled with his broken arm to get himself out and then hobbled over to Sarah. He bent down as she watched him hack through the chain that imprisoned her leg. When it broke free, Sarah sighed with relief, then rubbed her sore foot. It was only when she realised that Lysander's upper limb was a great deal more ruptured than hers', that she stopped as she looked in pity.

"Don't worry about it" he grimaced, trying not to act like he was in much pain. "Let's just set Jareth free and get the Hell out of here!"

Sarah agreed, and he quickly helped her up. However, just as they were about to walk over to the other cage, Tom's loud booming voice began to emerge, along with the sounds of his blood-hungry entourage.

"We could sneak out of the side door so they wouldn't see us!" urged Lysander, who held his knife in his hand ready to cut the bird cage open. Unfortunately, this particular cage was not as brittle as the other two. Tom knew that Jareth was the most powerful, so he bound it securely with his dark magic. The knife barely scratched the bars as Lysander sliced away in a frenzy. Sarah pressed him to hurry as Tom neared closer to the theatre, but the enchantment was just too strong. Suddenly, Lysander yelped, causing him to drop the knife. "Ouch!" he barked, noticing that the Jareth had bit him. "What did you do that for?"

The owl shrieked, then lifted it's left wing and pointed it in a certain direction. Sarah followed it's wing until she realised that it was pointing to the side door, signalling for them to leave without him.

"We can't go without you!" she cried, as tears formed in her eyes. She reached out her hand and put it between the cage bars to stroke the bird. But the owl screeched again and pecked her finger. "Ouch!" she yelped.

Jareth flapped his wings ferociously, as if to say that he wanted them to go away.

"Come on, Sarah! He's right! They're coming! We'll come back for Jareth, I promise."

Lysander took Sarah's hand with his right arm and pulled her away, much to her reluctance. They ran down the stage as fast as they could and headed towards the side door. Sarah wore only her nightgown but that was the least of her worries. She smiled with relief as they got to the door, and quickly, she opened it as it creaked with its rusty hinges. She couldn't believe Tom had left it unlocked! He really hadn't thought this through!

"Not so fast!" hollered Tom, causing Sarah and Lysander to gasp in shock. They turned their heads to see the bulky man, standing with his skeleton guards, crossing his arms and smirking evilly. Voices could be heard from outside of the door, which Sarah recognised to be the audience. "I might have known that pretty boy would come to the rescue!" he scoffed. "And your stupid Labyrinth friends! The very cheek of them, demolishing my theatre! Well, I'm going to make sure they suffer for that!"

Sarah tried to quietly open the door a little more, but failed to be ignored.

"Going somewhere? I doubt you'd get very far." Tom sneered.

"At least I could try!" she shouted.

"Oh, well be my guest! Only don't except fancy pants to be coming with you."

Sarah turned around to see the guards charge at Lysander and capture him. He tried to struggle but his arm was in too much agony. Seeing that it was broken, the guards took the opportunity to damage it further. One of them hoisted it's scythe and seared down on his arm, causing Lysander to scream in the most excruciating pain. His limb then broke free from the rest of his body and crashed down to the floor. It was too gruesome and torturous for Sarah to witness. If they did that to him, then what would they do to her?

"Run Sarah!" shouted Lysander, seeing that she had frozen in terror.

She attempted to run, but Tom's bellowing voice halted her in her tracks.

"Make one more move, Sarah, and your friends' throat will be snapped faster than you spill red wine at a masquerade ball." He smiled in a sinister way saying this, confirming that he had in fact had something to do with the chaos she had caused on that ill-fated evening.

Sarah closed the door, knowing that she could never leave without Lysander after all he had done for her. One of the skeletons came behind her and grappled her arms, then she and Lysander were hauled back onto the stage. They watched as an even larger cage plummeted down from the ceiling, and they were both pushed inside, before being brutally examined for any weapons or magical items that could possibly aid their escape.

As soon as they were caged up, the main doors opened and the audience began to walk in. There were so many of them; hundreds, maybe even thousands! Some appeared in a human form, dressed in fancy regal clothing. Some were blatantly not human at all. Sarah gawped when she saw some of the most ugliest creatures she had ever seen, with brown skin, warts and yellow teeth, almost goblin-like in appearance, but much larger and much more menacing. The room suddenly reeked with evil, as they grunted and cheered their way down the aisles. Some had large noses and three eyes. Others had no nose or eyes at all. Yet the eyeless creatures still managed to find their seats and glare at the stage in anticipation. The one thing they all had in common was their eager smiles on their faces, all of them excited to see the greatest show on earth; a gory scene of death and carnage.

"What now?" Sarah whispered to Lysander.

"I wish I knew." he admitted, clutching his broken stump of arm as it teemed with blood.

They waited as Tom went over to greet each guest, and one by one they were allocated their seats. Since the back few rows had been destroyed by Ludo's boulders, some re-arranging had to be done, giving Sarah and Lysander a few extra minutes to figure out a plan. Some of the guests sneered at Sarah, turning their mole-infested noses up at her. As far as they were concerned, she was a major threat to their world and they needed to see her destroyed. The guards were back in their original positions, keeping their cold hollow eyes on the stage. Sarah turned to Jareth just to see if he had any ideas. Even if he did, it would have be hard to understand what an owl was trying to tell her, but she did, in truth, notice that he was acting rather strangely, nodding his head as if he was trying to signal something. Sarah nudged Lysander.

"Look at Jareth." she whispered.

Lysander looked at the owl, who now stared still at Sarah with his big beady eyes. Then, when he had got both of their attentions, he lowered his head to Sarah's chest.

"What's he doing?" she asked, wondering why he gazed so intently at her breast. This was no time for flirting.

Then Lysander gasped in realisation.

"Sarah your locket!"

"What about it?" she asked, looking down at the rusty pendant she never seemed to remove from her neck.

"I totally forgot! Sarah, that locket is not what you think it is." He spoke softly and urgently, trying not to attract Tom's attention. Some of the guests were already beginning to leer at them, wondering what they were plotting together.

"What do you mean? My mother gave me this. It's just an ordinary locket!" she whispered, annoyed that he was wasting time, conversing over the wrong matters.

"No, you only think your mother gave it to you. When she left home, that was when you began to turn to the Labyrinth and read the stories. Jareth knew that one day you might come to Labyrinth and that would make you exposed to these Threats. So he gave you the locket…to protect you."

"Stop talking you two, or I will kill you faster!" yelled Tom who scowled at them before turning back to his guests.

"He can't have! Dad told me that my mother gave it to me. How could it protect me? It's just a stupid locket with a picture of my mother inside!" she murmured.

"Its it really? I know for a fact you have never been able to open that locket, and that is because it was meant for this moment, right now!"

Sarah looked down at the pendant. She saw that it was glowing, something that it had never done before. Jareth nodded once again, agreeing with what Lysander was telling her.

"There! You see, it's glowing! That means its time. The locket can only be used once. If you open it at the right time, the locket's power will seek out the closest living being to you and will destroy him. Do you understand what I am telling you, Sarah? As soon as Tom takes you out of this cage you'll have to open it and kill him. It's the only way."

"But I thought he was immortal?" she enquired, unsure of what he was asking her to do.

"'Immortal' is loose term we use. Everybody has a time limit. Even Jareth and me."

It was hard for her to take in, but then so many unexpected things had happened in the past few days that she knew she just had to believe it.

"But I'm not a murderer, Lysander! I can't!" she stressed. To kill a man, no matter how wicked he was, seemed like a sickening feat for her.

"Sarah, listen to me. Tom is nothing but evil! He has no compassion. He wants you dead, he wants me dead, and he wants Jareth dead. It's the only way! As soon as Tom is destroyed, his followers will just diminish before our eyes. They wouldn't survive a second without their master! So, once Tom is gone, we're free! You have to do this!"

She began to cry. Her locket was the only thing she possessed that represented her mothers love, and now all this time she was carrying nothing but a lethal weapon. Stroking the pendant, she felt its warmth. It certainly did feel like it was meant for this very moment, and if it was the only way to save her friends and family, she would do it.

"Okay! Tell me when, and I'll open it." She hid it down her nightgown so that it was out of sight.

"I'm proud of you, Sarah."

Lysander kissed her cheek fleetingly, so that no one noticed. Then he apprehended that Jareth had indeed been watching the whole time. He glanced at the owl with an apologetic motion, expecting him to be cross. However, the owl blinked at his fondly, as if to tell him that he respected him for all he had done. Now, it was only a matter of time before Sarah would open the locket in a last attempt to save them all.

* * *

><p><em>AN: I hate that this story is ending in a couple of chapters, I'm having so much fun with it! I know I probably update it too often but I just can't help myself! ;)<em>

_Am so going to have to carry on the writing after this, I've re-found my love for it thanks to you all... Hello to new readers! :D  
><em>


	18. The Beast

Thirteen minutes later, and the guests were seated. Even though they now had a plan, Sarah still shivered with trepidation, for she was about to assassinate a living being, no matter how foul he was. Tom leisurely made his way up to the stage, and took his time to pride himself over his malevolent plan. He strutted back and forth in front of the three prisoners, sashaying his robes about and grinning with a haughty satisfaction.

"On this day…" he announced to his fellow audience, "…we shall witness a historic event, whereby the human girl who has been such a burden on our society will, at long last, get her comeuppance, and be _destroyed_, so that she will never try to take over the Underground, or never tell another a soul about our world. It is a misfortune to take the life away from someone so beautifully youthful, but it would be a crime against our nature to not eliminate a potential threat to our race. If anyone hereby objects to this event, speak now and let it be on your conscience that you doubted the Underground Law!"

No one uttered a word.

"Then let it begin!" Tom slowly swaggered towards the cage which enclosed the two young prisoners. Sarah watched anxiously, twiddling her fingers ready to open the locket, as Lysander put his hands on her shoulders to comfort her.

"You know what you have to do" he whispered. "When you open that locket, it will kill him, and you're curse will be lifted, okay?"

She nodded slightly, still terrified of the fact that she was about to put to a man to death.

The cage opened and the crowd cheered as Tom hurled her out and began to parade her up and down the stage, to which the guests whistled and chanted as if she was some kind of lust object. What made it so much worse was that she was dressed in a short nightie, which made her feel sick with exposure. Lysander scowled as he watched him caress her naked legs, much to Sarah's revulsion. Tom winked at the audience evocatively, then turned to Sarah and pursed his lips.

"How about it?" he offered. "A goodbye kiss?"

Sarah responded by spitting in his face. The audience laughed hysterically, but Tom clenched his fists in anger. Raging, he marched her over to the centre of the stage and pushed her down onto her knees, causing the whole room to gasp in silence. They watched eagerly as she awaited her demise. Seeing all of those faces leering at her made her want to faint, but she knew she had to keep it together. She placed her fingers on top of her locket ready to open it when Lysander gave the signal.

"Look at you! Pathetic!" derided Tom, who now held a large battleaxe in his hand ready to swing at crowd applauded, as he held the weapon high above his head. It was then that she heard Lysander cough deliberately. That was the signal. She had to open the locket, but her hands froze in hesitation. The medallion vibrated beneath her, urging her to release its power. Lysander coughed once more, but her hands quivered with anxiety. Tom's eyes filled with pure hatred and she knew he was ready to strike her. Suddenly, Jareth began to screech and flap his wings with a forceful gesture.

"Now, Sarah! Now! Do it!" Lysander screamed.

In terror, she clutched the locket tightly and closed her eyes. With one sharp movement the glowing locket opened...

...All of a sudden, a blinding white light inhabited the entire theatre, impeding her vision. She could no longer see the spectators, but she could hear them squealing. She couldn't see Tom either, but she heard him drop the battleaxe. There was so much noise. The entire room overflowed with haunting screams. She called Jareth's name, but the roar of the witnesses drowned her voice. Together, the light and the screams overpowered her senses, and within second she passed out.

* * *

><p>When her consciousness recovered, she awoke in a state of flux. The blinding whiteness that she had witnessed just a few moments ago became replaced with an unnerving darkness. Many questions saturated her tired mind. Where did everybody go? Where was Jareth, and Lysander? And most strangely, why was she no longer in the theatre, but back in the chilly old Oubliette? This wasn't what she expected to happen. Now, she had no idea if the locket had actually worked, and if her friends were still alive.<p>

Silence engulfed her for no more than a few minutes, until a familiar face came into her view. Sweat poured from her brow as she realised that the plan had failed, and Tom was still with her, alive and angry. Only this time, they were completely alone. His footsteps emerged into the light, allowing his full bloodcurdling stature to leer over her. She had been fearful of him all along, but now it was just the two of them in complete abandonment, she felt absolutely terrified. His dark eyebrows frowned meancingly above his cold, lifeless eyes. Then, he knelt down and thrust his hand up to her neck, glowering as he did so. Then he ripped the open locket from her possession, which stung her neck a little.

"Clever plan." he stated, in a low and gritty tone. "For a moment there I actually thought you would succeed. But you have be aware, Sarah, that I am always one step ahead you."

She didn't reply. She didn't have to. He took pride in enlightening her with the facts that confused her so.

"Being Jareth's accomplice all those years, I was fully aware of the locket that he preserved for you, and its powers. Placing myself under a series of excruciating hexes, I made sure that I was utterly immune from its curse, so that if you so foolishly tried to apply it on me it would not kill me, but only make me stronger." He smiled, sinfully when he said this, knowing she shuddered at his words.

"Stronger? Stronger how?" Sarah shuddered when she spoke, knowing that she didn't actually want to know how, but he was going to tell her whether she questioned him or not.

He paused for a second.

"I didn't want it to come to this, but I think its time to show you who I really am."

Tom stepped back and held out his arms in a sacrificial motion. That was when Sarah noticed that the deep emerald rune that hung from his neck was blazing uncontrollably. She gasped in terror as the entire room trembled with a thunderous roar, and proceeded to glow a bright green. His bulging biceps began to enlarge, until his clothing ripped right off his body. He shrieked at the top of his voice, as if he was in intense pain, his body expanding into a mound of leathery muscle. Now Sarah found herself facing an enormous creature, with the physical features of both man and bull, that stood at least eleven foot tall. It had set of flaring nostrils, pointed horns, and sharp rotten teeth which gave way it its ravenous mouth. The creature horrified her, so much that she couldn't even scream. Instead, she just gazed up into its dark, threatening eyes. Sir Tomas Rainu alone was frightening, but this was something else. The beast's stale breath swarmed through her nostrils, causing her to feel more faint than she already did, as she tried to make sense of what was happening.

'Tomas Rainu'...'His true form'. The words began to encircle her brain.

Tom Rainu? Hmm. The letters of his name started to seem familiar.

T O M R A I N U

Then she realised.

'TOM RAINU?…MINOTAUR!' Of course! It all made sense!

She remembered the book she had read '_The Truth About Mythology' _and how it told her that one of these brutes could be found in the heart of every Labyrinth. She knew that if she defeated it, she would finally conquer the Labyrinth and would be free from its curse. But how could she possibly overpower this monster? It was huge, very huge. Thick white saliva seeped from its fleshy lips whilst it thrashed its head around in fury. It was thirsty for her lifeless soul, and if it hadn't been so disorientated from its transformation, it would have already killed or eaten her. Undeniably, it was going to take a great deal more than a few silly words from a little red book to surmount it, and if strength was needed, she knew she had already failed, for this beast was a fierce fighter, hungry for flesh. If truth be told, the only thing she wanted to do now was run. And run was what she did…

Hastily, she sprinted straight over to the small hole in the wall the she had created a door out of before. The beast chased her, moving with speed deceptive of his bulky size, but luckily it was too large to fit through. Sarah laughed. But it was too soon for joy. The beast started to pound his fists against the wall, shuddering the ground as it did so. The wall was beginning to break apart!

She dashed down the murky, dampened passageway, ignoring the roars of the False Alarms that tried to warn her off. She was _not _going the wrong way! Any direction away from the great brute was most definitely the right way.

It wasn't long before she heard the animal's deafening roar again, so loud that it shook the entire underground and almost made her stumble over her own feet. Its footsteps began to tread heavily through the dungeon. It was getting close. She continued to run through the tunnel she had now ran through twice before, the same thick, dank smell infecting her sinuses. But as she approached a small cove, she realised that she was trapped. It was here that she had encountered Jareth the last time, and he had transported her to the castle using his crystal ball. But this time, Jareth wouldn't be here to save her.

Just then, an immense shadow crept among her. It was the Minatour, halting her in in her tracks. Abundant with rage, it let out another almighty roar, which caused her to almost vomit in the heat of its rancid breath. It raised one of its hooves and slammed down hard, affecting her balance so that she tumbled to the ground. The monster then showed its huge, pointed teeth in a heinous grin. He had her.

Cruel beastly eyes pounded into her soul, mocking her with their self-righteousness. The callous peepers of a foul beast were not the last sight she wanted to see before death, so she closed her lids and envisioned the romantic eyes of the Goblin King. He gazed at her with kindness and adoration, as if to tell her that everything was fine, even though she knew that could not be true. She knew that the beast drew closer and closer, yet she erased the brute from her thoughts and continued to focus on Jareth. He reached out his hand to touch her face, and she could almost feel his soft caress, ignoring the obvious stale wind that seeped from the beast's mouth. She began to move her own hand across the floor, imagining that it was Jareth she felt beneath her fingers. That was when she felt a cold piece of glass under her palm. What was that?

Opening her lids, she tried her hardest not to glance up at the enormous monster who stood inches before her face, and directed her attention to a small bottle of perfume that she now held in her hand. It was the fragrance that Jareth had offered her as a bribe to stop her from making her wishes. At least, she assumed it was perfume. She looked closer. There was an etching scrolled across the brim.

'Uncork, release

defences against

the beast

explore your wild,

defiant child

that lives in fragrances.'

Astonished, she did as the bottle said, and removed the lid from the container. Holding it up to the Minotaur, she squirted the liquid directly into his eyes. To her surprise, the aroma that seeped from the bottle was pleasant and sweet, but the monster repelled in disgust and let out a mighty growl. It hobbled back and forth, losing total control of its balance, until ultimately it gave a last rasping moan, before collapsing in a heap on the ground in front of her.

* * *

><p>Stillness blanketed the Underground now, aside from the ever-dripping slime that oozed from the Labyrinth's plumbing. The brute was dead.<p>

* * *

><p><em>AN: Last chap to go...<em>


	19. The Fourth

"Sarah…" He whispered her name. "Sarah, take my hand."

A solitary crystal drifted amongst the darkness, like a bubble that appeared as if it would disintegrate if she so much as blinked at it. Within the orb, she saw the courteous face of the Goblin King, who held out his hand to her. Openly, she reached her fingers out to the crystal, and felt his familiar touch gently pull her into the distorted enchantment of the sphere. Seconds later, she settled into his tender arms, weeping as she embraced his presence.

"It's over now, my love."

Glancing around, she saw that she was back in the Goblin King's castle, surrounded by the welcoming faces of her friends and allies. Lysander watched happily, along with Hoggle, Ludo and Sir Didymus, relieved to see their dear friend well and safe. More than a hundred goblins also danced around gleefully, as if they too were glad to see her - though they were probably more excited about the free-flowing ale that seemed to be erupting from one of the barrels in the foyer.

"Is everyone okay? What about Karen and Toby?" she solicited in a panic, remembering that her stepmother had been exposed to Tom's mighty strength.

"Yes. Everyone is absolutely fine, Sarah. The curse has been lifted, and your family are safe." declared Jareth, who touched her chin with the tips of two fingers, and pushed her face up until her green eyes met his. "You did wonderfully."

"What was in that bottle?" she asked.

"Why, a piece of your very own soul." replied Jareth, to which she frowned confusedly. "You see, the Minatour is a beast that entails nothing more than the deadliest of evils. Within your tears, you hold all that is good and pure. You cry for the people you love, and you and I both know that love is such a powerful emotion, Sarah. Much more powerful than hate and loathing. Your love defeated the hatred that the beast enclosed. That is why I asked Lysander to collect a handful of your tears in a bottle, in case a situation like this ever occurred."

"When did Lysander collect my tears?" she enquired.

"Remember that time I came to your house, just after your mother's funeral?" quizzed Lysander. "You cried into my arms. When you weren't looking I scooped up a few of your tears, then gave the bottle to Jareth. He mixed them with the tears of a unicorn, the deadliest elixir against evil, and then he planned to give it you when the time was right."

Jareth turned to Lysander and bowed his head respectfully, then twitched his mouth into a quiet smile.

"I cannot thank you enough for all that you have done for her."

"Aw come on, it was nothing!" Lysander bashfully smirked back. It was then Sarah noticed that his lower arm was missing completely. He had literally given up an entire limb for her.

"What do you mean it was nothing? You saved my life! You've been saving my life all these years and I never even knew it. How can I ever repay you?" asked Sarah.

"You don't need to. All I ask is for your continued friendship." he smiled.

"Well, that's a given, and, hey, we've still got so many places to travel to, so many movies to catch up on…"

"Actually..." Lysander interrupted. "I was thinking I would stay here for a while."

"What?" she asked, rather shocked at his decision, remembering when he told her how much he disliked the Labyrinth, and how he hated the goblins' pranks.

"Well, I've spent so long in the mortal world now, I forgot how much I missed this place" he declared, gazing around at the castle walls fondly. "I think its time to stop running away from who I really am. Besides, somebody needs to be here to keep Tom in check!"

"Tom? I thought he was dead! I thought I just killed him!" she gasped, darting her eyes around the room in panic and utter bewilderment. Jareth clutched her shoulders softly, telling her she had no reason to worry.

"You killed the beast inside of him, but Tom himself will now become a prisoner of the Labyrinth forever. We can do with him what we wish, as now he is just an empty shell of a man, never able to use powers again." affirmed Jareth.

"So, you're going to lock him away in the Oubliette?" she interrogated, still confused as to why he wasn't dead.

"Actually, I've got a much better plan" Jareth smirked, and with that, he and Lysander looked at each other with a secret amusement, one that they were not going enlighten Sarah with right away.

"You'll see next time you visit here!" laughed Lysander. It was still stange for her to see him so at home in a world she had tried to hide from him for so long, but he did seem to blend in so well. She had always known there was something not quite "normal" about him - the way he always looked so clean cut and pure, and the way he displayed so much optimism in a world so full of tragedy and hatred. Even with a missing limb, his cheerfulness could not be broken. Sarah didn't know what she would ever do without him.

"Do you really have to stay here?" she wept.

"Yes, I do. My mission was to make sure that no harm would ever come to you, and now that I know you're safe, I can give you room to breathe on your own. I'd like to stay and help out in the Labyrinth…if that's okay with you, Jareth?" he asked, coyly.

Jareth nodded in agreement.

"You are always welcome here, Lysander."

A sudden wisp of sadness swept across Sarah's lids. She wanted to stay too, but her family needed her. Her father would want her home when he returned, and her brother would need her to tell him bedtime stories. As for her Karen, well it was only now that Sarah realised how much her stepmother had been by her side through it all, and it was only fair that she showed her how much she appreciated it. On the other hand, Jareth could tell that Sarah still grieved deeply for her real mother.

"Your mother did love you" he told her later on, as they stood together alone on a secluded balcony in the castle. Handing her a glass of apricot champagne, he could tell she seemed slightly forlorn. Now dressed out of her nightclothes, and into a simple black dress, he watched and admired her while the wind blew softly from her face.

"How do you know that?" she sighed. "The only thing I thought she'd left me turned out to be a murderous weapon, which I've worn for as long as I can remember." In a moment of haste, she ripped the locket from her neck and threw it over the balcony.

"That was your fourth wish, wasn't it? To see your mother?"

Sarah nodded, wistfully.

"Sarah, you know that isn't possible." he asserted with tenderness.

"I know. I just wanted to see her face, even if it wasn't real. I wanted to know that she was okay, and that she didn't hate me before she…before she…"

"Sarah that day she died…"

"She was in a car crash. I called her on the phone a few hours before, and yelled at her. I told her that she was a lousy mother because she never came to visit me. Then I slammed the phone down. Next thing I knew the police were sitting in my lounge, telling me that she had been driving over the limit. Oh, Jareth it's all my fault! I killed my mother!"

"Shush now." Jareth put his arms around her to comfort her, and she leaned her head against his chest. "It wasn't your fault. I promise you, Sarah. I'm going to grant you your fourth wish" he revealed. She looked up at him curiously. "Look." he said, as held out a crystal.

Sarah gazed into it, squinting her eyes as she tried to distinguish the image that appeared inside the small globe. It was her mother! Linda Williams had just replaced the receiver on her phone. She seemed upset, striding across several rooms of the large house that she dwelled in. Reaching a cosy study area, she approached a man; the same silver-haired man who had spoken to Sarah at her mothers funeral.

"I'm going to see Sarah!." she told him. "I know what you're thinking, but she's my daughter and I love her. I need to talk to her, tell her that I'm sorry."

Sarah sobbed as she observed her mother pick up a cardboard box full of her prized possessions; dancing trophies, old soft toys, pictures, games - everything she held dear to her. She couldn't believe she had kept them all this time!. Linda took them out and placed them into the boot of her car, then began to drive off to see her daughter. Sarah's eyes were fixated on the crystal, and she watched right up until the moment of the car crash. She flinched when she saw her mother's car collide into another. However, she did not perish straight away. She managed to stay alive just for a short while as she spoke the police and paramedics. They knew that it was too late to save her, but just she breathed her last breath she whispered a few short words. It was unsure whether the surrounding people actually heard her or not, but Sarah could hear her now.

"Tell Sarah, my…Sarah…I love her, it's not her fault. Tell her…"

And then her eyes closed for the last time.

Sarah closed her own lids in sync with her mother, breathing in everything that she had just witnessed. Her mother really did love her, and that was all she needed to know.

"Thank you, Jareth" she whispered with deep gratitude, for he had given her the one thing she needed most - the strength to move on.

"You're most welcome." Jareth embraced her one last time, kissing her gently on the forehead. As much as she wanted to stay in his arms for the rest of eternity, he knew she was fatigued, and needed to be home for a while to recover from everything that had happened recently.

"When will I see you again?" she asked.

"Oh, very soon" he assured, then gazed at her devilishly. "I'm still waiting for you to...seduce me" he teased, and with that they both laughed.

* * *

><p>Soon after, Jareth threw crystal up in the air. She watched as it formed a silent white explosion of sparkles of dust, which covered her vision entirely. When the dust had cleared, Sarah found herself back in her bedroom. She looked at the clock. It was night; exactly the same time as when Tom had first kidnapped her and Jareth. Toby was fast asleep, and Karen was safe downstairs. She leapt onto her bed and snuggled into the warmth of her pillow, ready to fall into a blissful slumber. But just before she drifted off, there was a knock on her bedroom door. She went over to answer it, assuming that it was Karen checking in on her. However, it was her father, smiling at her with his kind paternal eyes.<p>

"Dad!" she gasped, running over to the man she needed now more than ever. She hugged him tightly and smiled when she gazed into his humble brown eyes. It was a rather strange experience, since intimacy with each other was not their usual forte, but she felt secure and loved all the same.

"Hi honey" he grinned. "Oh, its so good to be home!" He took a good look at Sarah, then bowed his head with a slight guilt. "I'm so sorry I was away for your mother's funeral. I know it was a very difficult time for you. Karen told me that you haven't been acting yourself lately."

"No, it's fine dad. I admit that it was hard at first but I know now that she did love me, and wouldn't want me to be sad anymore."

"I could have told you that." Her father kissed her on the forehead for the first time. He had never shown her so much affection before, but for some reason the time felt right. "I'm so proud of you."

"I love you, Dad."

"I love you too, darling."

After her father wished her a goodnight, she gazed into the mirror smiled at herself, something she hadn't done in a while. She remembered how just a few days ago she had had dark, ghostly eyes and a sour expression, but all she could see now was a bright, radiant young girl with her whole future ahead of her.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Jareth and Lysander sat in the main hall of the Goblin Castle, surrounded by hundreds of goblins who couldn't help but create mischief whatever the occasion. Lysander tried to tackle one of the goblins to the ground, for he had stolen his treasured knife, but it was increasingly difficult to take on the mangy creatures with only one arm. Jareth watched amusedly as he sat on his throne. His expression was one that said 'This is going to be fun', as he watched the inexperienced boy dance and dart around the foyer. A few seconds later, another goblin approached the King, carrying a silver tray of champagne with him. This particular goblin sported a fancy dark blue suit, gloves and had unkemptly black hair. Jareth took a glass without thanking him, which caused the goblin to scowl in anger.<p>

"That will be all Tom." smirked Jareth, and with that he took a long sip of his cava, satisfied that Sir Tomas Rainu was now made to be nothing more than a pathetic goblin slave.

"How long will he stay like that for?" asked Lysander, who came to sit by him, exhausted from wrestling the goblins, who were now throwing the knife around the room.

Jareth thought about it for a second, then smiled.

"Oh, only forever. Not long at all really." he replied, before letting out an elated cackle, which echoed around the entire kingdom.


	20. The End

**THE END**

* * *

><p><em>Author's Final Note: So that's that. Thank you so much to all of you who read, reviewed, and ranted at this story. I loved writing it for you. I think the main reason I'm so proud of this story is because I took a quite a risk bringing in new characters, Lysander and Tom, who played such a big part in this story. I know a lot people read Labyrinth FanFiction purely for JarethSarah tension, but I wanted to give the story a bit more depth and structure while still including the ol' romance. It was either going to work or fail, and I think (I hope) it worked! _

_Anyway, enough about me. Thank you to all you reviewers: _

_artseblis, Stubbsy341, janeaustenromantic, Alltangledup95, JJwolf, notwritten, Kaytori, DawnRain, sambacat, Laiika, Sam, LadySparrowJack, iced diamond, Molly, Kiari Ferrari, Garnet Hikari, TheWordMasterofFiction, bellfort, Demented Insane Spirit, lonely 27  
><em>

_(Future reviewers will also be added here :))_

_For those of you who still like me and my stories, you're in luck. I'm rapidly working on a new project with the working title 'Sarah and the Prince of the Land of Stench', so put me on your alerts if you already haven't because it's coming soon. I also have a sequel in mind for this. Or maybe it will be more of a short spin-off, so keep a lookout for that too!_

_Until then... bye for now!_

_P.S. If you ever want to chat to me about my stories or any unrelated topics, then I'm on Twitter (katieakakatie)._

_:)  
><em>


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